“When will that be?” I whispered.
“When he’s done with them.” He continued further down the narrow halls, some of which were familiar to me. Stopping in front of another door, he unlocked it and pushed it open. “This is a good--”
A scream drowned out his words, and I looked up. It sounded as if it were coming from right on top of us.
“What is that?”
“Just get in and stay quiet.” He grabbed my arm to push me further in, but I resisted.
“Who is that?” I demanded. A yell followed the echoing scream, and it was most definitely two different people. A male and female persons, to be exact. “Are those my parents?”
“Obviously,” he drawled, eyeing me with the first sign of pleasure I’d ever seen him show.
Everything calm or reasonable snapped in me. “I have to help them!” I tried to get past him, but ran into his outstretched arm that wasn’t there another moment ago.
Tiberius sneered. “Stay put, little sparrow. You don’t want to find yourself on the ground writhing with them.”
“It said trade!” I cried, trying to wedge myself past his shoulder, but he was much stronger than he looked.
“We lie a lot.” He rolled his eyes and pushed me back.
That was imminently bad timing to say that, and I pushed him even harder to get out. “How do I know you’ll be back then? You picked the room on purpose!”
Tiberius began to push me backward slowly and deliberately, ruining my footing as he was succeeding in moving me further in this awful torture room. “Of course I did. Don’t you want to hear your brother’s handiwork?”
That horrified me enough that he gave one more shove to get me inside and tried to shut the door. I stuck my arm through before he could and earned a slammed door on my massively bruised wrist.
I shrieked in pain, nothing but agony racing from my wrist to fingertips and out to the elbow.
He cursed and pulled the door open wider to hiss at me. “It’s a bloody grate, you ninny, it goes both ways.”
Using my knee this time against the door, I dove at the gap between his side and the frame. Throwing his weight against me didn’t stop me entirely and I was free! On the downside I stumbled over my feet and landed harshly on my knees. Before I could gather my wits, he wound one fist in the back of my shirt and dragged me back.
We both ended up in the room and he swung the door closed with one foot as he restrained me.
I kicked behind me at his ankles, but his arm tightened around my shoulders and neck until I couldn’t breathe. The other hand was over my mouth immediately after he allowed me sweet air.
Everything was still as their screams poured downward around us like the world’s most hellish elevator music.
I choked on the noise, finally slumping against his chest. It didn’t matter, he kept me upright with his arm tightly around my upper chest. He kept the hand on my mouth, something I became very aware of when I heard footsteps between screams. The footsteps weren’t from upstairs, they sounded like they were coming from the hall.
Tiberius’ breath was hot against the side of my face as we listened.
Someone was walking around out there. The tread was heavy and even, a man. He hadn’t come close yet.
I closed my eyes, trembling as the sounds above faded.
The steps got louder and louder, until it was louder than my heartbeat in my ears.
I didn’t need the hand keeping me quiet, but I didn’t dare to move. All I could do was listen as it finally crossed the door. The steps slowed, but kept going until they were lighter and quick up a set of stairs.
The arm over my chest loosened, then slipped away. I waited patiently for him to move the other hand.
“I won’t have you shrieking or pecking at my eyes again, or bursting into hysterics at the sight of your parents’ limp--”
A voice roared from up above us. “Do it again!”
I flinched.
Apparently the lack of aural terror bothered Septimus. I wouldn’t recognize his voice in a crowd, but here, in this place, I knew.
“Stop being weak, show them what can you do!” he screamed.
I winced as the tortured shrieks and yells stuttered back into life, but it was losing strength. It seemed to go on for a long time after that. A part of me welcomed the hand resting over my mouth. It reminded me not to weep loudly.
When the silence stretched out again, I had to strain to hear the voices from above.
“Good job, son. Go rest, you’ll need your strength for tomorrow.”
He ordered someone to remove the dogs, and I could hear the nearly imperceptible sound of something being dragged along the floor.
Tiberius finally stepped away from me, fastidiously wiping his hand with a handkerchief. It was black cloth, of course it was.
I didn’t apologize, but I did take his handkerchief to clean my face. I held it out to him once I was finished, and he gingerly pinched the edge then dropped it on the floor.
I ignored that. “Is Septimus the Doyen of all the werepanthers?”
Tiberius sniffed. “No. He does tend to govern the Hunters in London, but he’s not the only one who fancies himself a Lord over us peons though.”
“Why do you listen to him then?”
The dark-clad man shrugged as he opened the door cautiously. “Money is power. If someone displeases him, they’ll find themselves disowned from his fiefdom and need new ways to support themselves. Some have managed, others come crawling back.”
I remembered what Ryland said about difficulty keeping a regular job with their inability to work during the full moon. "Won’t there be guards?” I whispered as we crept down the hall.
“I am a guard,” he muttered. “Besides, they’re not getting anywhere on their own volition. Changing once under natural means is tiring enough. Being forced multiple times is devastating on the body.”
Even though I believed him, I still wasn’t prepared for the sight of my parents when he unlocked a nondescript door in the middle of a wide hallway. The small room had no bed, but it had a perfectly serviceable couch that nobody bothered to put either body on. Instead they were dragged to the middle of the floor and left in a shivering, naked heap.
Neither even had the strength to crawl together each other, though my father’s arm was stretched toward my mother. Their skin was mottled with purple and red bruises.
“Were they beaten too?” I asked in horror.
“No. Shifting is violent, and our human form can only take so much.” He searched through the small closet and pulled out several sheets and tossed them at me. “When in our other form, we can heal almost anything.”
I unfolded the sheets and covered my parents, tucking in the corners carefully. I smoothed back my mother’s damp hair, wishing I hadn’t gotten so upset last time we spoke. “How are we going to do this?”
“I’m going to carry them to your car. Make sure you leave some sign it was you, I’m not taking the fall.”
Of course. I patted my pockets, but I didn’t own any calling cards or distinctive scarves. “You wouldn’t happen to have a pen?”
He rolled his eyes at me.
I started searching through the room, hoping for anything. The end table had a blank notebook and a pen. I smirked and took the tip to the largest space of blank wall.
HOW ABOUT NO?
Tiberius snorted when he saw my finished product. He merely picked up my mother over one shoulder, and scooped my father up on the other side. It looked quite unwieldy, but his expression showed little but distaste. “Hurry it up. And for the sake of my skin, be quiet.”
I was jumpy as we left the room, sure that any moment Marius or worse would pop out. I wondered if Rose knew what her friend was up to.
The lack of lights once we left the house brought a sense of comfort. I didn’t breathe until we reached Heath’s car, and I opened the door for him to situation them in the backseat. “Don’t forget to buckle them in.” I watched anxiously
.
If Tiberius rolled his eyes again, he did so quietly and wrangled them into a position where he could get the straps over each lap.
“Do you think I could make them Change and they’d heal?”
He glanced over his shoulder at me, or more specifically, the right side of my face. “No. You don’t have the moon in you.”
I stopped, confused. Then I shook my head and took a deep breath. “Right. Anyway, I know you didn’t do it for me, but thank you anyway.”
“We all have someone we love,” he mumbled, closing the door.
We stood there for a moment, just looking at each other. Then he started back toward the house, and I climbed into the driver’s seat.
I was glad I trusted Ry to help. I drive slowly toward the Pack house, listening to the labored breathing from the backseat. Occasionally they groaned, but never woke up.
Even though my rescue mission was a rousing success, it felt even more and more like I was trapped. Would be this my life from now on, trying to stay one step ahead of the monster that abducted my brother and wanted me as well?
When I pulled up to the house, I noticed the lights were off. But that didn’t mean nobody was waiting for me.
Lyall was sitting on the porch, holding a very familiar book in his lap.
“I’d have let you borrow it earlier if I thought you were into that,” I said as I climbed out of the car.
He set aside the book and walked down the sidewalk casually. “I can’t tell if I should be relieved you’re back, or quite put-out.”
“Relieved,” I immediately said, walking around the car to open the door to the back.
The look of shock on his face was almost comical in how complete it was. “Oh, you’re going to be impossible after this, aren’t you?”
“I already was,” I admitted cheerily, buoyed up. Cheery as I could be with my unconscious mother and father freshly tortured anyway.
He leaned in the car to straighten my mum’s sheet, and lifted her up bridal style. “Open the door for me, it’s unlocked.”
I jogged ahead of him to do so, pulling it open and seeing a decidedly less friendly face. “Kurt...hi.”
He scowled at me.
Our staring contest was halted by Lyall stepping through with my mum.
Kurt stalked past me down to the car. He put my father carefully over his shoulder, shooting me another narrow look as I held open the door for her.
Already preparing any number of excuses I could viably take, I followed him. There was a spare bedroom by the bathroom adjoining the kitchen, and they were laid on the bed. We pulled several blankets over them.
I must have looked puzzled, because Lyall explained, “Heat helps us heal.”
That might be good to know in the future, considering the up and coming event. I really hoped this didn’t ruin my chances of going to that, because I was just as convinced as before I had to be there.
Once we left them and were standing in the kitchen, Kurt rounded on me and opened his mouth.
“I’ll be in the other room if either of you need me.” Lyall chuckled, abandoning me to my undeserved scolding.
Maybe I deserved it a little.
Kurt crossed his arms, his soft pajama shirt stretching nicely over his chest. His black hair looked even more rumpled. If he wasn’t so irritating, I’d say he looked adorably handsome tonight.
“Do I have to tie you to me?”
I raised my eyebrows, grabbing a glass to pour myself water. “I didn’t realize we were at that point in our relationship. You haven’t even taken me out to dinner.”
“You cannot just leave whenever you feel like it.” He continued, only having a moment of closed eyes in reaction to my words.
“Who appointed you my guardian, anyway?” His overbearing attitude was getting a little old. My own cousin didn’t even follow me around to hover criticize like this.
“I am trying to keep you safe on my watch. I brought you into this, remember?”
Oh. He felt guilty and responsible. I could understand that, and tried to soften my tone accordingly. “Technically, it wasn’t you. I was already involved in all this, I just didn’t know it.”
“It would have been better had you not learned of it.” He let out a grating breath, running his fingers through his hair.
“That’s not fair.” I frowned at him now. “I’d just be sitting in my flat, wondering if Heath was fine and checking my phone every three minutes.”
“Not seeing the problem.” Kurt raised an eyebrow.
“I do!” I threw up my hands. “None of us would know about Andrew! At the very least I ruined that nasty surprise. Who knows what advantage I can give everyone at the Summit?”
“I’m going to make it my personal mission in life to make sure you’re not there,” he said loudly.
“You don’t own me!” I shouted, stamping my foot.
“Someone has to keep you from making all the worst choices!” His deep voice couldn’t hit the notes mine did, but I could feel the rumble in my bones when he raised his voice.
I was so mad that I forgot it was after midnight in a house full of people. “Oh, I must have missed the part of this where you’re perfect!” I don’t think I’ve ever had a shouting match with anyone. I could feel my hands shaking, so I balled them up and shoved them behind my back as we glared at each other.
“I don’t have to be perfect to think you’re being foolish.”
“I don’t have to be brilliant to notice you’re a wanker.” I’d never called anyone such a rude word, but it felt immensely good at the moment.
“Name calling, really. That really highlights what an adult you are,” he ended the sentence with a sarcastic snarl.
“That really highlights what an adult you are,” I mimicked him.
“This is exactly what happens when you can’t shag.” Willie yawned as he came down the stairs.
I stopped, blushing hotly. I hadn’t meant to wake anyone up.
Worse and worse, Clover was descending the stairs behind him, rubbing her eyes. “What’s going on? Having a midnight snark, you two?”
If I thought Kurt was going to be similarly embarrassed, I was wrong. He snitched immediately. “Gemma here went back to the Cat Castle by herself.”
I colored more under their interested regard. “I brought back my parents.” I said defensively as I took a seat, hoping I wasn’t about to get it from all sides.
“No bloody way, really?” Willie grinned and clapped me on the shoulder. “You’re a bloody badass.”
“You’re so tough,” Clover said admiringly. “I want to be you when I grow up.”
Kurt was looking more and more like he regretted saying anything. “Don’t encourage her.”
“You’re right.” Clover smiled at me. “Next time invite me!”
“And me.” Willie chuckled at Kurt. “She fits right in. I remember we all went down to Bedfordshire because we heard about the shifter sightings. We drove straight up to Swineshead Woods and got lost, remember?”
“Not really,” Kurt grumbled.
I smiled, feeling the resurge of adrenaline fading slowly. My shaking hands got worse, and tears stung my eyes. My poor parents, even their faces were swollen and bruised.
“Oh no, what’s wrong?” Clover snuck close and placed her arm over my shoulders.
“Th-they were tortured.” I whispered, trying to keep the tears back. I failed miserably.
“That’s terrible!” She turned it into a hug. “You should be resting. Kurt, how could you yell at her?”
He looked uncomfortable now, and instead of responding he shook his head.
“Let’s get you upstairs.” She kept an arm around my waist as she ushered me up the stairs.
It was nice to be taken care of. She even lent me a pair of her favorite pajamas - they had black kitties all over them, an ironic choice? - and had me snuggled up on the communal bed in no time.
Willie had already made his way there, and if Kurt came back up,
I was fast asleep by the time he did.
Chapter 17
I woke up to a large empty bed. Burrowing my head deeper into the pillows, I debated on just staying. No, a lot had to be done today. Even though it would be a busy day on many levels, I had to make an opportunity to tell them what I learned my first visit to Septimus’.
There was a distinct buzz of many conversations from downstairs as I crossed the hall to get dressed in the little room Clover and I shared.
I spent a long time brushing my teeth and working all the tangles out of my curly hair. It was almost smoothed down by the time I put down the brush and stared at myself in the mirror.
“You can do this,” I told myself. “You have to do this.” I was anxious about the questions and attention that was sure to follow. As it turns out, I didn’t really like being different. I put away the items slowly and walked down the stairs.
“The conquering hero awakens!” Willie immediately cheered.
Heath was sitting at the table next to Pandorea, hand on hers. He raised an eyebrow, but he was smiling as he shook his head. “Who’d have thought my baby cousin was so headstrong?”
I took it that he had been informed of my late night activities. I also took that as a compliment. “We share that family trait in common.” I poured myself a cup of orange juice and sat down at the table as well.
“I’ve never done anything rash or dangerous,” Heath protested, but then winked at Pandorea.
“Where’s Lyall?” I might as well get this over with as quickly as possible.
“Talking with several other older shifters.” Heath jerked a thumb at the doorway leading to the sitting room. “I think the evacuation of the more vulnerable houses went smoothly.
“Why didn’t they evacuate this house?” I asked, taking a long drink.
Willie got an uncharacteristically savage smile. “I would love to see that sniffling, lying pillock come back here. I always thought he had a suspicious lack of ability to scent.”
Huh. I hadn’t known about that trait. “Do you smell really good?”
“You tell me.” Willie winked, holding out an arm my way.
Chosen: Shifters of London Page 12