I followed Gabriel's gaze, and saw the shadows move. First I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but then I realized the shadow was actually the animal I had been hearing.
It stood, partly, on its hind legs, and seemed to be staring at us. I could make out the shape of its teeth and the ruggedness of its fur, but other than that I had no idea what it was.
It sounded a battle cry before leaping out of its still stance. Each stride was as long as three of mine. His form was massive. In fact, he looked more like a grizzly bear than any other animal I'd ever seen. But, as he got closer, I made out the distinct shape of his wolf canines.
With my stomach in my throat I was shoved backwards. Gabriel was in front of me in a second. He stood in a solid, wide stance and swung his sword twice to loosen and reacquaint himself with his weapon, as the beast closed in the space between us.
My hands wrapped around the grip of my sword, but I didn't unsheathe it. I could only feel the beating of my heart, hear the pounding of the ground, and watch as the animal closed in on Gabriel.
My entire body tightened in fear as the beast and Gabriel collided.
I felt a pair of hands digging into my arm from behind, and new it was Cassiel who clung to me. We attempted to keep each other shielded, but I fought harder and won. I pushed him behind me and took out my blade.
Gabriel looked like an epic hero as he wielded his sword against the ferocious claws of the hound. Blood glistened down the silver blade and dripped onto the ground, though I had no idea of whom it belonged to.
The moon above us was half covered with thick clouds, from the rain that had previously hit, but still shown onto us; like it were cheering and guiding us.
I had been watching Gabriel so intently, than I didn't notice anything else. I was basically moving with him; every step, every swing, and every block.
The ground underneath me began to tremble, like it had before, and I swung around. What I saw made me gasp. There were two other, equally large and rabid, hounds bounding towards us. Another beast, not quite as large as the first, was two feet away from slamming straight into Cassiel and I. Saliva dripped dramatically from its large teeth, while claws swiped out.
Sebastian's blade connected the beast before it got any closer to us. I could hear the effort in Sebastian's breath, but it wasn't enough. The hound rose up onto its hind legs and shoved Seb to the side with a sickening thud. I jumped as he hit the ground.
I turned my gaze back to the beast with dread, fear, and anticipation running through me.
It's eyes focused on mine and I saw the dilation of his pupils, the enraged and insane look in his eyes, and the teeth he so proudly snapped in the air.
I kept my knees bent and my sword close to my chest as I stepped between him and my best friend. Then as it lunged forward I through all my weight into my blade. The silver sunk into the skin of the oversized wolf and it let out a furious roar. It was nine times worse than The Beast's in Beauty and the Beast.
I stumbled backwards and narrowly missed the set of claws that came my way. A vine, as thick as my shoulder, tripped me. I fell with a cry. In the dark night I could make out the wolf's movements. He tried to shake himself free of the sword that had been pushed into his side, but it only made it worse.
I thought he'd give up. But there was only more rage in his next attack.
Behind me I heard yelling, cries of pain, and screaming that sounded too girly to be from anyone in my pack, but none if it made me flinch. My eyes locked on the beasts as he skulked towards me.
His strides were long and the limp he'd gained only made my heart race faster. The menacing look in his eyes made me want to cry, but I couldn't. I wouldn't.
Without a weapon I was defenseless. I was helpless.
I scooted backwards, matching each step the wolf made. My hands felt around the cold cobblestone, but all I found were leaves and dirt.
The massive wolf, with blood soaking his fur and rage burning in his eyes, roared.
My heart was in my throat, but I kept backing up. Then I saw a flash of light near the corner of my eye before someone yelled, "Elaine!" I glanced over, and saw Sebastian half running half limping over to me. He threw something. I saw the flash of the blade as it came to me; grip first.
I saw the wolf lunge at me.
I didn't have time to scream. I grabbed the sword in mid air, and just as the wolf landed just atop me, I slammed the sword into its chest. Claws sunk into my shoulder as it fell lifelessly onto me. I screamed with pain, despair, panic, and fear.
After that things started to get quiet. No more roars pierced through the air. I didn't hear the panicked yelling of my pack mates. Instead, I only heard footsteps and the sound of Gabriel's husky voice, "Watch for more. I'm sure they don't just have three of those damn things."
Someone came closer to me. I tried to move out from under the dead weight of the wolf, but it was useless.
Then, I heard a groan. The animal was shoved off me, and I had to blink a few times before I could realize that Gabriel and Sebastian were standing over me. Neither looked that bad, but I noticed that none of us had walked away unscratched.
"What's the one holiday that Sebastian ever comes home for?" Gabriel asked me. He was standing at an angle that kept me from making out the rest of the street. I couldn't see anything, or anyone else except him.
"My birthday." I squeezed my eyes shut as pain shot through me.
Sebastian kneeled down beside me.
"Did we win?" I grumbled as I pushed myself up so I was sitting.
"Sweetheart, that was only the beginning, I'm afraid." Sebastian's gentle hands found my arm a second later. He ripped away the sweatshirt before tracing the marks with his fingers. "You did well."
Gabriel's eyes were as bright as the sun when I met them, while his hair seemed to have grown even blacker. Locks of his hair stuck to his face because of the mixture of blood and sweat. "Get up. We have to move." He demanded, unaffected, unchanging, and as unfeeling as ever.
I got up on my own; rejecting the outstretched hand Sebastian had offered me.
The first thing I did was search for Cassiel. He was standing by Greg. He wasn't cowering, but I noticed that his hands were shaking. I also noticed he had blood on his shirt.
"Everyone okay?" I called out.
Dead: the beasts
Injured: all
I retrieved my sword and shuddered as it slid out of the beast's side. I almost threw up, but then caught Sean's gaze. I hardened myself and willed for the sick and terrified feeling to go away.
"Hurry up." Gabriel was already at the entrance of the underground levels of the castle. I shivered, but not because of the cold. My wolf felt it too. Something was wrong with this place. That woman wasn't as crazy as most probably thought. She was right. No one should be here, but it was too late for us.
I collected myself before jogging up to meet back up with Gabriel.
CL
Our footsteps echoed disturbingly against the concrete walls. It was cold, damp, and gave the illusion of being a prison cell. But, that's probably what this part of the castle had been used for. We were in the dungeons, for lack of a better term. The ceiling was low and I noticed that Gabriel had to walk somewhat to the side because of how narrow the hall was.
"Alright, give me some information I can use." Gabriel ordered. His voice sounded strange as it bounced off the walls.
"Like what? They don't make maps of this place and there isn't likely to be a point man anywhere." Sebastian grumbled from somewhere near the back of our line.
"According to that documentary Leah showed us," Cassie came to the rescue. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Sean stood between the youngest Durand brother and me. Sean met my gaze after a second and gave me a look. I wasn't sure if it was angry, or just a 'what' kind of stare. But I turned away anyway. "The old castle was built backwards. So, we need to go down a few more levels if we wanted to find Nicolai."
Odolf growled, "Assuming he'
s still the one behind all this."
"Stop." I scolded, "I'm creeped out enough without thinking vampires are going to come out and get me."
"I didn't mean vampires." Odolf's hoarse tone gave me goosebumps, but not in a good way.
Gabriel growled loudly before whirling around so he blocked us from moving any farther. Rage radiated off him and I took a small step away from him, "You all disgust me!" He hissed, "None of you are fit to be on the battlefield. If this is how you're handling this mission, than you should all be in nursery school. This isn't a game!" He was speaking through his teeth, but that was just as bad as yelling. I jumped when he spoke again, "We could die if you lose focus!"
I shook once and then I found my thoughts changing. Suddenly, I wasn't worrying about my shoulder, or the thick smell of blood and fear that consumed the hallway, or even the fact that Gabriel looked ready to kill the closest person to him, which was me.
"Take the next right." I stated. My voice sounded different, but I didn't worry about it.
Something stirred inside me. It wasn't my wolf, exactly, but something hot. Something was pulling me towards it.
Gabriel accepted my instructions and we quickened our pace as we turned down the next hall.
It seemed like it went on forever, but it didn't matter. With every step I took I could feel myself getting closer to what was calling to me. I wasn't scared, only alert, as we continued.
I could make out a stairwell at the end of the hall. "That's it." I told Gabriel.
Then, the earth moved.
It was like the entire floor tilted, and I slammed into the wall. My temple bashed into the cement blocks, but I was fine other than that. "What the-" I heard someone start, but they didn't finish.
Something growled. It was so loud that I felt it in my chest, just like I had at the Underground London Racing.
I spun around, but couldn't see because of the guys. They were too big. I couldn't see past them.
"Run!" Sebastian roared almost as loudly as the growl.
I didn't have time to question the order. Sean pushed me until I was running flat out down the rest of the hall. My tennis shoes pounded against the concrete so hard that the balls and heels of my feet were burning.
Gabriel jumped down the three steps and shoved open the medieval style door. Sean half picked me up as we followed him. Then, the door slammed shut behind us.
"No!" I screamed and pushed past Sean. I tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. It was locked from the outside. "Gabriel! Help me open the door!" I yanked on the handle, but no avail. I kept pulling though. I had to open it. I had to open it for the pack. I couldn't leave them out there.
Before I reached hysteria someone grabbed my arm and spun me around. Gabriel held tightly to my shoulders and shook me, "Look at me!" He demanded. I sobbed, but did what he said.
No, no no…. I had to open the door. I had to Cassie. I had to Seb. I couldn't leave them out there. Not with…
"Listen!" Gabriel shook me again as if realizing that I wasn't paying attention to him. I blinked a few times before turning my attention to him, "Sebastian and Greg will take care of the pups. We have to finish the mission."
I cried and tried to shake Gabriel's hands off me, but he wouldn't let go.
"They'll live." Gabriel knew better than to say they'd be fine.
His eyes bore into mine and I found myself nodding. I trusted him. I didn't believe him entirely, but I trusted him. I also trusted that Gabriel wouldn't make a promise like that if he wasn't sure he was right.
Gabriel opened his mouth, but a small, but shrill, whimper cut through whatever he was going to say.
Chapter Twenty-Five
My sweat turned cold as I heard the wavering cry of pain. My wolf jumped in my chest, from familiarity. For one brief moment my human self pushed past the wolf's control. Fear clamped onto my senses and disabled my limbs. I stood, paralyzed, listening to water drip onto the cement floor and the ragged breath and racing hearts of everyone around me.
When the helpless and fearful whimper called to us, again, my wolf shoved away my mundane weaknesses and took control once more. I felt my muscles clench as I turned around.
It took me a few seconds to adjust to the dark room. We were in some kind of cramped cellar. It was larger than the hall, but gave me a feeling of claustrophobia. There were no windows, and I got a flashback from the Cannibal Ector movie. The floor was damp and covered in clumps of dirt, so I nearly missed the gray and honey colored wolf curled up in the back corner.
If I had been a human I wouldn't have noticed her at all. My wolf had a hard time of it too. My nose burned from the day's worth of urine and blood. However, I caught the faint rise and fall of her chest, which was the only part of her that moved.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sean move. He hesitantly walked around me, and took two very unsure steps towards the she-wolf.
I started to tremble as I caught a faint scent. It was hard to catch, because of the stench of dirt, sweat and waste clinging to the air, but it was there.
"Mom…" My voice shook worse than my hands as I speed walked across the room. I fell to my knees, ignored the pang of splitting pain, and leaned forward so I was hovering over my mom's wolf form.
Her eyes opened for a moment, but closed them to return to her exhausted rest as if she hadn't seen me at all. I clutched her matted fur and inched forward until my knees touched her side.
Something banged on the door. I went rigid as I board, and even stopped breathing, because I knew that the producer of the sound hadn't been using a fist. Whatever was on the other side of that door was using its body to barge through the iron bolt.
Gabriel strode up to me, brushing past Sean as he went, "We need to catch up with the pack." Panic shot through me as he moved to take mom away from me, and I surprised my human half by growling deeply. Gabriel froze. Only his eyes moved, when he turned them to mine. "Elaine we have to,"
"Go." Yes, I knew that. However, "I'll carry mom."
For three seconds he didn't do anything. He didn't move away, or attempt to retrieve Elizabeth. I wasn't even sure if he was breathing, he was that still. The only part of him that remained active was his eyes. His gaze flickered between my two narrowed eyes. I saw emotion, questions, and I caught a glimpse of confused anger in his golden, bright, eyes.
A knock sounded at the door, again. This time, making the wood shake in the rotting frame. Gabriel and I both snuck a glance behind us, although I kept the majority of my attention on my mom's breathing. Her intake of breath was almost unnoticeable, but I could still make out every time she drew in a gasp and when she wheezed one out.
I could hear, behind the door, paws pad and claw against the hard stone floor as it galloped down the hall to get itself another running start. Cue red flags in my brain, tension in my muscles, and a growl in my throat.
I half stood, but still managed to remain in a crouch as I lifted mom into my arms. I slowly stood while keeping her even in my embrace. "We'll get you home." I whispered into her fur.
Sean was ahead of me, and I was shocked and confused to see him walking to the opposite side of the room. I didn't voice my concern though, since Gabriel seemed to be watching him as well. Then, I saw where the male was headed.
There was another door, wider than the one we'd originally came through, set halfway in the shadows of the dungeon. Unfortunately, I saw it just when it was opening.
Sean froze and drew his weapon. Gabriel wasn't that far behind him. Me, however, just hugged my mom closer to my chest, protectively. She was my mission. I would get her out of here safely.
A figure, who seemed to be just as comfortable in the shadows as Gabriel, stepped into the room.
I braced myself for a roar, a form of attack, or a glimpse of a weapon, but saw none. Instead, as he stepped into the fragments of light, my heart swelled with joy and relief. Josh locked his eyes on mine. "Hurry up!" He demanded, as if he came as no surprise to find us there.
&nb
sp; Sean and Gabriel ran ahead, while I moved slowly, yet steadily, with mom in my arms. I held her close, as if she'd fall through my grasp if she weren't pressed against my chest. She was heavy, but it seemed I had received another werewolf features along with my better eyesight.
For the short walk to my brother I forgot about the impending danger. Instead, I was a pup readying to get scolded. Josh wrapped his callused fingers around my wounded arm, and tugged on me until I was close enough to literally smell his anger.
His gaze was intense, but I held it bravely. "We'll talk about this later."
I scoffed when he pushed me into the hall. He totally went all Nathan on me! He even used the same threat that Nathaniel used. Weird.
Then, I heard the animal, beast, thing, crash into the cellar door again. Josh slammed the door a split second later; making sure it was securely closed.
"What the hell are those things?" I barked out. Josh was directly behind me. I could feel his breath on my neck and sense his anxiousness. However, I could only go so fast. Even being a changed werewolf, I wasn't as strong as I knew the guys were… I hoped that would change with time, just like the healing thing.
My shoulder burned and I could feel blood dripping down my arm, mixing with sweat and dirt. I ignored it, though. "Did you find Cassiel, too?" I asked while pushing myself to move faster; hoping that would get my mind off my pain. "Is he with Alex?"
"You brought Cassiel?" I jumped as Josh roared.
I winced a second later, and felt mom tense and flinch in my embrace. It broke my heart when that was her only reaction to the violent rage that had consumed the narrow passageway. I wanted to shake her and yell, "Snap out of it!" But, I, of course, didn't. That was my human talking and wouldn't do any good anyway.
At that moment it was my responsibility to protect her, instead of the other way around.
"We can't leave without him!" I was about to stop, halt, and demand to find our pack mates, when we spilled out into a larger room. The ceiling must have been at least two or three stories high. The floor reminded me of public or in ground pools. It was hard, gritty, and gross because of the packed in mud and…rats. Okay, I'd never seen them at a pool.
Howl (Howl Book 1) Page 35