Leo agreed instantly and waved us away. I wasn't sure of what to do. Nathan took my waist once more and steered me towards the door. I snuck a glance over my shoulder. Leo was watching me with the firm eyes of an eagle and I turned back to the door.
"That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." I confided in Nathaniel as we walked down the hallway. I didn't have to yell over the music, because I knew Nathan could hear me.
"If you care about your health at all, you won't say any more jokes tonight." Nathaniel tightened his grip on my hip as we reached the crowd. I sighed heavily and wished I hadn't gone after Cassiel earlier. If I hadn't, than none of us would have to deal with any of this.
I understood Nathan's threat. It took a lot for Nathan to lose his control, but even if he did, I knew he wouldn't hurt me. But that didn't mean he didn't scare me. Nathan scared me more than Sean, and for good reason.
We met up with the boys, I gave them the bad news, and we all set off for the night. I was in the passenger's seat of Nathan's Mercedes as we drove away from The Calling. I looked over at the eldest Durand son and bit down on my lip.
This was going to be a long night. If Nathan didn't kill us, I knew Gabriel would finish the job.
CL
Nathaniel walked ahead of me. He unlocked his apartment door and switched on the light. I heard the clash of his keys as he tossed them into the dish beside the door.
"Whoa." I stopped dead in the doorway as I took in the room.
"Don't worry, I didn't decorate it." Nathan told me over his shoulder. I didn't know how he did it, but he was still wide awake at three in the morning. I wished I could say the same thing. I almost fell asleep in the car.
"Good thing," I moved out of the way so the guys behind me could get inside. "I thought you had turned into Leo."
As soon as I said that I laughed, but quickly stopped when Nathan gave me a look.
"Right, sorry, no jokes." I bit my lip subconsciously.
Nathan's apartment was made up of two levels. From the foyer I could see the living room and the kitchen. The living room was made up of black leather sofas and a matching recliner that looked more expensive than Pavel's motorcycle. The fire place was wood burning, I could make out the faintest scent of smoke in the air, and there was a plasma flat screen above the mantel.
The kitchen looked like it was made of platinum. There wasn't one surface that was smooth metal and I had to admit I loved it. Pans hung over the island and the fridge was twice as big as the one at my house.
The upper levels were where the bedrooms and two of the bathrooms were. There was a wash room down the hallway beside the kitchen; which would take you right to Nathan's office.
"You changed a lot since the last time I was here." Cassiel commented. He stayed by my side while Pavel followed his father into the kitchen.
I dragged my feet. The longer I could keep us argument free, the happier I'd be.
With his back to us, Nathan nodded, "It's all Leo's doing."
Cassiel and I shared a small smirk. We knew that. Nathan had nice taste, but he'd never spend more than 300 dollars on a television; if that, and the one in his living room had to coast five times that.
"Look dad," When Pavel started Cassie and I stopped in our tracks. The tone Pavel was using told me everything I needed to know about how he was feeling. I heard the desperation, the strain, and the irritation and I knew Pavel and Nathan needed to talk.
"You remember where the guest room is?" I whispered to Cassiel; which didn't do much good. I knew Nathan and Pavel would hear me.
Cassiel nodded hastily.
We turned, to go up the stairs through the living room, but I stopped when I saw Nathan hold up his hand.
"Pavel, we'll talk later." He gave his son a pointed look and I fought the urge to yell at him. "Cassiel, can I have a moment?" Nathan turned his full attention to his youngest brother.
I touched Cassie's shoulder affectionately and silently wished him luck.
Then I continued through the living room. I glanced over at Nathan when I got to the stairs. There was a small wall separating the two rooms, but an archway gave me a perfect view of the kitchen.
"Elaine, your room hasn't changed." Nathan said as an after thought.
I nodded, more to myself, and waited for Pavel to meet up with him. When he didn't leave the kitchen right away, I got a little scared. Pavel knew, just like I did, that arguing with Nathan was pointless. If he started something, it would only end in tears.
"Pavel," I whispered. I could see the struggle in the older man's features, but he finally turned to me. "You coming?" I wasn't exactly ordering him to follow me, but he understood my comment.
"Yeah." Pavel ran a hand through his hair and quietly followed my lead. We jogged up the stairs and didn't stop until we reached the end of the hall.
I sighed before turning to him, "You can talk to him later." I assured him.
"If he doesn't interrupt me." He told me bitterly. I opened my mouth, to attempt to say something helpful, but Pavel had already gone into his room.
With a growl in my throat I glared at the wall. After a few seconds I slipped through my door.
When the door closed behind me I growled loudly and hung my head. Pavel and Nathan had always had a stressful relationship. Pavel, being the youngest, wanted his father's attention, and Nathan expected too much out of his son.
I attempted to listen to Nathan and Cassie through my door, but it was useless. There was too much space and too many walls between us. I couldn't even hear a murmur of their voices.
So I decided to close my eyes for a few minutes.
My room at Nathan's was fairly small, but it fit my needs. I had a queen size bed, a vanity that acted as my night stand, a closet, a dresser than held more books than clothes, and a couch. There was a chest at the end of my bed. I mainly kept blankets in there. Nathan loved to keep the air conditioning on full blast and those blankets came in handy.
After turning off my light I collapsed on my couch. I laid my arm over my eyes and let the cool darkness devour me.
I wasn't sure how long I laid there but, the next thing I knew, I was waking up. I shot up so I was sitting and whirled around. I had expected to see someone standing there, but I was alone.
I was confused. I couldn't figure out why I had woken up.
The couch was comfortable and I was tempted to just close my eyes again. I couldn't though. I walked across the room and quietly opened my door. The hallway lamp was on and that sprung my curiosity. I knew that it hadn't been on when I walked past it earlier.
Very slowly, I walked down the hall. The carpet was fuzzy and dulled the sound my shoes would have made.
Once I came to the stairs railing I saw that the living room light was still on. I peered around the corner. I was careful not to make any jerky motions. I didn't want to get caught.
Nathan was sitting on the edge of the couch while Pavel was perched on the coffee table.
"You need to learn to be more responsible, Pavel. The pack expects a lot out of you, and so do I." Nathan reprimanded. His hands were collapsed between his legs. His shoulders were hunched slightly, but his eyes hadn't lost their edge. I could see the predator yellow gleaming around his pupils from where I stood.
Pavel was nodding, "I know that sir, but I think you're asking too much from me. I've barely been changed for four years and everyone expects me to be perfect at everything."
I couldn't help but nod in agreement. Pavel was right. The pack put a lot of pressure on him.
"You have to learn to deal with it, boy." Nathan warned, "You're my son and I expect perfection."
"That's not fair!" Pavel and I burst in unison.
Nathan didn't seem surprised that I had been spying on their conversation, but Pavel jumped two feet away from his previous spot on the table. He spun around to face me. His eyes were wide.
"Nathaniel," I started as I went down the stairs. I walked slowly so I didn't come off as a threat, "You are a gr
eat father, but you are pushing Pavel too much."
Nathan's brows furrow, "He's my son, Elaine. This isn't your place to pass judgment."
"I'm not passing judgment; I'm simply sharing my opinion." I stopped a few feet away from him. The three of us shaped a triangle.
"If you want to share your opinions become a book critic." Nathan told me seriously, "But I am Pavel's father."
I nodded my agreement, "That may be, but Pavel is my friend. I have the right to tell you when you're doing something wrong. It's my job to help him."
When Nathan stood I knew I had said the wrong thing. I averted my gaze from his and stared down at my hands. "Sorry." I added.
"Don't apologize." Pavel came up to my side, "It's my fault." I looked up abruptly; only to see Pavel walking around me. He was heading towards the stairs, "I should know better than to try to talk to my dad."
I watched Pavel jog up the stairs, two at a time, with my mouth hanging open. When I heard Pavel's bedroom door shut I whirled on Nathan. "Go after him!"
"Elaine," He was warning me.
I shook my head at him, "No. You can't just sit there. Pavel needs you." I was digging my nails into my palms to keep from yelling.
Nathan walked around the table, "Stop, Elaine. This isn't your business."
"Like hell." I had been in enough fights that day, but one more couldn't hurt. "Nathaniel, come on, be reasonable." I paused and changed tactics. "Yes, Pavel is your son, and I know you want him to succeed, but you are pushing him too much. If you keep at it, you'll push him right out the door. Is that what you want?"
I swore I saw Nathaniel's jaw twitch.
"Do you want him to leave the pack to be a lone wolf like Sebastian?" I knew I struck a cord with him. Nathan spun around and growled at me.
"Can't you ever leave anything alone?"
I narrowed my eyes at him slightly, "Not when it comes to my pack."
Nathaniel let out a deep sigh, "Lets get something straight." He fixed me with a firm stare, "Sebastian isn't Pavel."
"I know that." I responded instantly. Sebastian left the pack years before I was born and only came back for Thanksgiving and Christmas. He also came back sometime around my birthday, but no one really knew about that. Sebastian left because he'd spent his entire life living for the pack. One day he woke up and realized he wanted to do stuff for himself. "But you and the pack still pushed him into leaving." Nathan opened his mouth to object, but I cut him off, "You may not have realized it, but Seb felt just as trapped as Pavel does."
"What do you want me to do about it? I'm not going to baby him, Elaine." Nathan wasn't yelling, but he didn't need to. He had a very commanding voice.
I groaned, "Talk with him, and I mean really talking Nate. Don't just give him orders and walk away. He needs you to listen to him."
Nathan gave me a look.
"I know you're not the best listener in the world, but if you don't want to lose another son, you'd better try." I had already thrown caution to the wind, so for extra effect I put my hands on my hips and looked him squarely in the eyes.
"You're the only one who talks to me like that, you know that?" He almost laughed.
I smiled, "I do."
Then his expression changed completely. I involuntarily took a step back. The look in his eyes scared me.
"What happened to your jaw?" Nathan moved to approach me, but I backed away from him.
"I, ah…" I stammered; unsure of what to say. "What?" I wished I had a mirror.
Nathan's eyes were narrowed at my chin, "You're jaw. There are bruises all around your mouth." He kept advancing on me. So I was backed up against a wall with no where to go. I panicked as he stood in front of me. His hand was soft and gentle as he caressed and examined my skin. "Who did that to you?" His gaze turned deadly as he began putting things together.
I hastily shook my head and batted away his hand, "No one. I'm a klutz; you should know that."
"You've never been a klutz." He caught my lie and I was close to hyperventilating. "Tell me the truth!"
My hands trembled as I thought. I had a lot of experience with arguing with Nathan, but for once I was lost for words. I wasn't sure what to do. I could lie some more, but I learned in the past that burying myself in lies always ended badly. The only thing I could really do was tell the truth… but I didn't really want to do that.
"Elaine," His deep menacing growl caused me to press my back against the wall. "Tell me why you came here."
I tried to push him away from me, but he didn't even seem to notice my attempts. "Leave this alone, Nathaniel." I seethed.
"Like you left me alone?" This was Nathan's payback, although I knew he would have still done this even if I hadn't nosed my way into his business. He had his arms on either side of me so I was in a cage. "Tell me." His tone was softer that time.
I searched his eyes for a sign, but only found a carefully placed wall. "I'll tell you what happened. All men are idiots." As quickly as I could, I ducked under his arm and sidestepped way from him. A silly grin was covering my features.
Nathan lightly punched the wall, but I knew he wasn't that mad. If he had been, he wouldn't have let me go. "You'll tell me eventually."
"Maybe." I taunted him. "I'll see you in the morning." I started up the stairs. My bed was calling my name.
"We're going to The Calling before I take you home." He called after him.
I waved at him over my shoulder, without looking back, and went straight to the guest room. The light was off, but I knew Cassiel would be awake. Most likely he was waiting up for me.
The door closed silently behind me. Nathan, like most werewolves, was a control freak. He kept his apartment so clean you could run a white glove over every surface without finding a speck of dust. Nothing was ever out of place and there was never a creak on the steps or stain on the carpet.
"Nathan's disappointed in me." Cassiel said as soon as the door was shut. I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness before going over to his bed.
I lay down beside him and laughed, "He thinks I'm impossible."
"We all think you're impossible." Cassiel commented playfully. He knew better than to take Nathan's lecture to heart. That's just how Nathan was. I swore he loved to hear his own voice.
"That's because I am." I bantered.
Then Cassiel let out a long sigh.
I turned so I was lying on my side, "What's going on with you? Why won't you talk to me?" I paused, "We've always told each other everything. Now that we're teenagers we should be talking more, not less." I ended with a joke.
"You won't understand?" His reply came out muffled.
I scoffed, "I won't understand? You do realize who you're talking to right? Elaine? Elaine Jeannine Blanc?" When he didn't laugh or cut me off I stopped joking around, "You think I won't understand? Why? Is it a guy thing or something?" I really couldn't stop making jokes, could I?
"No, it's a father son thing." Cassiel grunted.
I smiled, "Well, that's perfect. I just had a counseling session with Pavel and Nathan. If I can get Nathan to listen to what his son is telling him, I can definitely help you with Alex." I paused before added, "What's the problem?"
Cassiel shot up in bed and growled, "I hate him!"
I withdrew, "What?" I was confused.
"I hate him! I hate him so much it hurts! How can you help with that?" When I didn't reply right away I could see Cassiel nodded in the dark, "I knew it! You think I'm crazy. This is why I didn't want to talk to you about this in the first place!"
"You're not crazy." I told him softly, "Come on, Cassie, we all hate our dads at some point."
He slid off the mattress and started pacing, "You don't get it. I've hated him for years!"
"Why?" I yelled right back. "What did he do?" If I could get him to come right out and say it, I'd have to get him to tell me in anger. He'd eventually slip up and spill it out.
Cassie kept shaking his head as he paced, "I don't know."
"Yes y
ou do." I got up and got right in my best friends face. "You wouldn't be this angry if you didn't have a reason to be. So, tell me. What'd he do? Play favorites with your brothers? Did he throw out your game cube? What?"
"He left!"
Alright, we broke through the surface.
"He left! He's been leaving for years!" Cassiel walked around me as he paced, "And I know that he's doing something good. It's not like he's out in the bars or something. But I'm still so angry! He's my father and I haven't had a real conversation with him since I was eleven years old… and that was about the war!"
Cassiel took over from there. I let him pace, yell, throw things (mainly pillows), and get out all his pent up rage.
I let him wind down. I knew when he was done. He leaned against the wall like his energy had been stripped from his body. I cautiously approached him. I let him make the first move. He leaned his forehead against my shoulder. I threw my arms around him and held him close.
"Do you feel better?" I muttered into his chest.
Cassie sighed, "I do." We stayed like that for a while. "Thanks, El." He whispered.
CL
"Wake up, sunshine." Pavel shook my shoulder gently the next morning. I groaned as I rolled onto my back.
I pried my eyes open. Light had barely begun to fill the room. It couldn't have been later than six. "Why are you up this early?" I tried to roll back over, but Pavel still had a hold of my arm.
"Nathan's waiting for us. He's taking us to breakfast." The bitterness in his voice woke me up a little.
"Have you talked at all today?" I hugged my pillow to my chest and wished I could bury myself in my comforter and not get up for another two hours, at least. I glanced at the clock that was sitting on my vanity and scowled. I had only gone to sleep two hours before.
The look on Pavel's face told me what I needed to know.
"Well it's a three hour trip. That will give you plenty of time to talk." I attempted a joke, but I was too tired to put much energy into it. I couldn't even smile.
"Yeah, and you can sleep."
"I love the way you think." I told him, while forcing myself to sit up. "Is Cassie up?"
Howl (Howl Book 1) Page 10