This is all your fault. Guilt surged through me, guilt at the awful things I’d said during the fight. I’d been so agitated with worry, I hadn’t been thinking. But that was the point, wasn’t it? Rosa said the racism she experienced every day came from thoughtless comments made by normal people. I’d just proved her right.
“Oh, really? … That’s right, that is strange … Thanks so much.” Alex frowned as she hung up the phone. “You’re not going to like this, Caleb. This dispatcher said that a driver named Barry Einhorn did pick Rosa up from the pub, about ninety minutes ago. She asked him to take her to the train station, which is only ten minutes drive away. But Barry has gone completely silent. He won’t answer his phone or pick up his radio, and he seems to have disabled the GPS in his car.”
My blood froze in my veins. “Angus.”
“That’s what I’m thinking, although we should go to the station and check she isn’t there, just in case.” Alex took one look at my face, and squeezed my arm even tighter. “We’ll find her, don’t you worry.”
Alex offered to go to the station and check with all the ticketing officers to see if Rosa got on a train. She took Ryan’s car. Luke, Ryan and I continued to prowl along high street, trying to sniff out Angus’ trail amongst the hundreds of crisscrossing paths. We finally caught the tail of it, stopping on a disabled parking spot at the top of the alley leading down to the pub.
“The taxi would’ve pulled in here to pick her up,” I said, my stomach churning. “There aren’t that many people around today. Angus and Robbie could’ve knocked the driver out, and somehow convinced Rosa to get in the car.”
“Where’s the driver now?” Alex asked. “Would they bring him with them?”
“He’s not our concern right now,” I said, to try and deflect her question. I knew my stepbrothers well enough to know the driver was probably dead in the boot.
“It’s isn’t good. They could have gone anywhere, and we have no way of tracking them,” Ryan said.
I shook my head. “Their plan hasn’t changed. They’re taking her to Aberdeen.”
“It’s good news, though.” Ryan said. “We know where she’s going, and we know she’ll be alive when they get there. They’re expecting you to follow her, right? That’s the whole point of this exercise, to get you to go back to your father’s clan?”
“Yes, but it’s vital that he gets there first. Angus wants Rosa for himself. He wants to make her his mate. He’s afraid of all of us, now that we’re a pack and he knows we’ll fight him for her. I think he’s counting on the rest of the Maclean clan to back up his claim to her when he arrives. He’ll tell them that she was his mate, and that I tried to take her from him. Douglas will believe him, unless we can get there first and he can smell the fated connection between us. If we get there too late, we’ll be walking into an ambush.”
“So we have to get to him before he arrives in Aberdeen, or else we’re hopelessly outnumbered?”
“That’s pretty much the situation. And we can’t fly. Angus has connections in British Air. He’ll have already made a call to ensure I can’t get on a plane.”
“Okay.” Ryan doubled back down the street, heading for Bewitching Bites. He grabbed the handle of the bakery door. “Come on.”
“How can you think of your stomach at a time like this?” I growled. “We don’t have any time to waste if we’re gonna—”
“I know,” Ryan grinned. “Just trust me.”
The bakery was pretty busy. Every table was occupied, and a line snaked between them from the counter all the way to the door. Behind the counter, a tiny, gorgeous Asian girl darted every which way, serving coffees and cutting cakes.
Ryan barged right past the line, ignoring the cries of indignation that followed in our wake. If there’s one thing an upstanding British citizen cannot stand, it’s people who cut into lines.
He marched up to the woman behind the counter. “Belinda, where’s Cole today? I need to talk to him urgently.”
“Oh, hey Ryan.” The pretty Asian girl’s face lit up in a bright smile. “He’s upstairs, actually. He wanted to get some of the paperwork done for the bird sanctuary. He’s trying to get it registered as an official charity. Go on back.”
Bird sanctuary? Charity? This whole conversation was really bizarre. I didn’t have time to ask questions or protest, as I followed Ryan through the kitchen and up a narrow flight of stairs into a tiny flat at the top.
A small kitchenette beside the door held a coffee machine and a kettle and several dirty teacups. Every available inch of wall space was covered with posters of brightly-coloured birds, native bird species charts, migration patterns, newspaper clippings, and the odd scone recipe.
The only other furniture in the room was a lumpy-looking couch under the window, a tiny desk in the centre of the room, under the light, and a man with long, black hair, a thin, hawk-like nose, and beautiful dark eyes. He was hunched over a laptop, his muscled thighs barely fitting under the desk. He wasn’t wearing a shirt.
What was going on here? Who was this guy? Live-in toy boy for the bakery lady? Hell, anything’s possible in Crookshollow.
The man stood. “Oh, hey Ryan. Do you like what we’ve done with this place? Belinda and I got our own apartment a couple of months back, so I’ve been using this as an office for the sanctuary—”
“I need your help, Cole.” Ryan introduced me and started to explain the situation.
“Hey.” I jabbed him in the arm. “Who is this guy? Can I trust him?”
“This is Cole. If I trust him, you trust him. That’s how this whole pack thing works.”
I nodded. Ryan was right. Just because I was the pack alpha, doesn’t mean I had to be like Douglas. Ryan knew what he was doing.
“Any idea what the taxi looked like?” Cole moved over to the wall, and flung upon the window.
“Yeah, it’s one of the yellow ones. Licence number BD17 SKR. The girl is black, with super frizzy hair. She was wearing a red sweater. The other two guys have short hair and Maclean tattooed on their arms, but they might be in disguise.”
“Maclean tattoos?” The man scrunched up his nose.
I rolled up my sleeve and showed him the large castle. Cole nodded.
“I’m on it. Tell Belinda I’m running an errand for you.” Cole faced the window, and flapped his arms. I stepped forward, certain he was having some kind of fit. Then I saw the change in his face, the way his bones cracked and rearranged themselves, the way his nose elongated, extending out from his face and hooking over at the end. He let out a croak as his knees bent backward, and he jerked to the ground. Black feathers poked from his skin, extending down his spine. His jeans and shoes dropped to the floor as his legs shrunk and his toes grew into talons. With a final cry, the man’s outstretched arms unfurled into enormous wings, and a black raven flew out the window, swooping into the alley below and disappearing over the village.
“A Bran?” I turned to Ryan in surprise. I hadn’t seen a raven shapeshifter in years. Usually, they were hidden away behind the walls of rich estates, slaves to the bidding of their masters. “Is he yours?”
Ryan shook his head. “And if you want him to do you any favours, don’t ever let him hear you say that. Cole was granted his freedom. It’s kind of a long story, another of Crookshollow’s secret supernatural affairs. Suffice it to say, if anyone can get to Rosa before they reach Aberdeen, it’ll be him.”
“And then what?” I growled. Watching Cole shift had yanked my wolf even closer to the surface. At any moment now, I could be overcome, and that could get very, very bad.
“Cole’s resourceful. He’ll figure something out.”
“I hate this.” I glared at the window, wishing I was flying alongside Cole, ready to tear Angus to pieces with my talons. I touched the ring around my neck. “I need to find her, Ryan.”
“I know you do.” Ryan patted my shoulder. “We will. In the meantime, we’ll go grab some road-trip sustenance from Belinda, and wait until Alex ge
ts back with the car.”
Alex returned just as we were stumbling out of the bakery, laden down with boxes of goodies. She shook her head as she got out of the driver’s seat. “She definitely didn’t make it to the train station. You said in your text that Cole was following the taxi.”
“He left ten minutes ago. We’ll head up the M1 and wait for his call.” Ryan kissed her on the cheek. “This is going to get dangerous. I’d really prefer it if you didn’t come with us.”
“This is the 21st century, Ryan. Girls can be heroes, too.”
“I don’t doubt it. I’d just prefer if my girl wasn’t the hero in this particular instance.”
“Fine.” Alex rolled her eyes. “I guess I’ve already saved your arse more times than I can count. I will take one of those boxes, though.”
“That’s my girl.” Ryan handed her the Heaven & Hell cake.
“You boys stay safe now.” Alex bent up and kissed Ryan on the cheek, then dropped the keys into his hand.
The four of us piled into the car. Ryan behind the wheel, me in the passenger seat, and Luke and Marcus in the back. Ryan tossed me his mobile phone. “Cole will send an SMS when he’s located them,” he said. “If we’re lucky, we’ll be able to gain some time.”
“How?”
“He carries his phone on a pouch under his chest. He’s never without it.”
Ryan sped out into the street, careening around the corner and heading for the M1. I gripped the dashboard. “Jesus, man. You’re a worse driver than Luke.”
“I resent that,” Luke said, his mouth full of cake. Loose crumbs splattered over the seat.
“I’ll drive,” Marcus piped up.
“This is the latest model BMW,” Ryan growled. “I’m not trusting a mutt with it.”
“I resent that,” Marcus growled back.
“Caleb?” Luke asked. “Do you have those lycan pills on you?”
I pulled the tiny bottle from the pocket of my jeans and tossed it to him. “Save half for me. We’re gonna need them.”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s nearly the full moon,” Luke said. “In a matter of hours, Caleb and I could go full werewolf on your asses.”
“Shit.” Ryan slammed his foot on the accelerator. “We’d better start moving faster. The last thing I want is claw marks in the leather seats.”
I stared into the mirror as the Crookshollow village faded into a blur behind us. My wolf clawed at my skin, begging to be released and tear Angus to pieces for hurting my mate. I popped another pill under my tongue, hoping like hell I’d be able to hold off the change until after I found Rosa. If Luke and I went ‘full werewolf,’ there’s no telling what we’d do.
We’re coming, Rosa. We’re coming.
17
Rosa
The minutes dragged on like hours. Long, terrifying hours filled by my overactive imagination conceiving of a hundred equally horrifying ways this scenario might play out. Most of them ended in me being torn apart by a pack of rabid wolves, or with having Angus’ thin, ugly lips pressed against my own.
Robbie sang along on the radio, and Angus tried to engage me in conversation. But I wasn’t in the habit of engaging with men pointing knives at my spleen. He’d stopped pointing it at my throat, in case someone saw it through the window, but he was making it damn clear he could still do some serious damage if I tried something foolish.
“We’re getting low on gas, Angus,” Robbie said.
“Pull over, then, wankstain.”
We turned into a gas station just off the M1. It was busy, with a line of cars waiting for the pumps. Angus fidgeted for a bit, tapping the knife impatiently against the seat, while Robbie manoeuvred the car into the line. Finally, he announced, “I have to piss. Take this and watch her, would you?”
He shoved the knife at Robbie, who paled. “Angus, you said I wouldn’t have to—”
“It’s just for a fucking minute. Don’t be such a feardie.” Angus swung his body out of the car. “I’ll even get us some snasters. You want anything, princess?” He leered at me through the window.
“I want you to drop dead, but I’m guessing this isn’t my lucky day.”
Angus laughed cruelly, then slammed the door shut behind him.
“I’m sorry about Angus,” Robbie said. “He ain’t as bad as he seems, honest.”
“You mean this whole kidnapping thing is just a big misunderstanding?” Sarcasm dripped from every word. I sensed that Robbie wasn’t really as into this plan as Angus thought he was. If I kept reminding him of the severity of the crime, perhaps I could get him to crack. It was a stupid, hopeless plan, but right now it was the only one I had.
“He’s just not used to hearing no, and he ain’t never liked losing out to Caleb. The way he figures, anyone wanting to be Caleb’s mate must not have had all their options presented, know what I mean?”
“No, I don’t know what you mean.” My heart pounded against my chest.
“Well, you being Caleb’s mate and all.”
“What are you talking about? I’m not Caleb’s mate. I never agreed to it. He never marked me.”
“Yes you are, and he didn’t have to mark you. We can smell it all over you. Caleb and you are fated mates. You’re destined to be together. It’s sort of rare to find that these days.”
“So Caleb and I …” I couldn’t believe it. Caleb had told me about fated mates, but he’d never even suggested the possibility that that’s what we were. He must’ve known right from the moment he met me. But he hadn’t pushed it. He hadn’t forced it on me. He was taking it slow, just the way I’d asked him to. Oh god, and I let him go. “… and you’re telling me Angus is jealous?”
Robbie shrugged. “Probably. He was always jealous of Caleb not having to live up to Dad’s legacy. Caleb has his mum, but our mum was killed and Dad only looked at Angus as the next in line for his job. He had to be tough all the time, even if he scraped his knee or broke his tooth.”
“You want me to feel sorry for Angus? That’s no excuse for kidnapping me or betraying Caleb.”
Robbie sighed. “I know, but I think it will be okay. Angus is thinking that if we get to Aberdeen first, he can convince Dad that you were his mate first, and then Dad will back him against Caleb. But I bet Dad will see though the whole thing, and he’ll straighten Angus out. You don’t just take another wolf’s fated mate. It would be very bad for the clan to support Angus. It would make Dad look weak, and he won’t like that.”
Angus is jealous of Caleb, so jealous that he was willing to break this huge werewolf lore just to deprive Caleb of his mate. That’s me, I’m his mate. I couldn’t believe it.
Wait until Caleb hears about this. He won’t believe that his stepbrother—
But he won’t hear about it. Because as soon as they realise Caleb isn’t coming, I’ll be dead.
“Why didn’t you try to talk Angus out of this stupid plan? You don’t seem as though you approve of the way he’s handling things.”
Robbie shrugged again. “The Bairds have Maria, and I love her like my own mother. If Angus thinks this is the way to get her back, I’m just gonna do what I’m told.”
“Why, though? You can’t be scared of your brother the rest of your life,” I said. “If you don’t take a risk every now and then, speak up for what you really believe is right, then everything stays the same.”
“What do you know about it?” He looked miserable, playing with the knife against the dashboard.
“Look at my skin. Do you think I’ve had it easy?” My voice choked up. “All my life, I’ve had to stand up for myself. It’s hard, but if you don’t do it, no one else will. There was only one time when someone ever tried to look out for me, and—” My voice completely choked. Instead, I snorted, and gestured to the car. “And look how that turned out.”
“You’ll be fine. Caleb will come for you.”
“He won’t. I messed it up. Don’t mess up, Robbie. Don’t say or do something you can’t go back on
. Caleb would have been a brother to you, the kind of brother you always wanted, if you’d let him.”
Robbie snorted. A van in the queue pulled out, and we inched up another place. A giant raven fluttered down and landed on the bonnet of the car. It peered in the window at me, its dark eyes looking me over thoughtfully.
“Look at that!” Robbie shuffled forward, sticking his head out the window. “That’s the biggest bird I’ve ever seen, And look, it’s got a pouch around its—”
The raven glared at me, nodded its head, then darted forward through the open driver’s side window and poked Robbie in the eye.
“Argh!” Robbie screamed. He slapped his hand over his eye. Blood poured between his fingers. People at the pumps turned to stare.
“Croooak!” The raven hopped up and down. It was almost as if it was signalling me—
Shit. Of course. Robbie was distracted. Angus was still inside. This was my chance!
I reached past Robbie and flicked the lock for my door. He shoved out a hand to try and stop me, but the raven appeared at the window again, flapping its wings in Robbie’s face and letting out loud, excited croaks. I flung open the door and bolted across the forecourt, heading for the cafe on the other side of the petrol station.
“Help!” I cried out, sprinting toward the door. People looked up from their lunches in confusion. Behind me, the raven swooped overhead, croaking excitedly.
“Help me! These two men have kidnapped me and—”
Something slammed into me. I sprawled across the ground, my face slamming hard against the concrete. Pain lashed behind my eyes, and I gasped for breath as the wind was driven out of me.
“Crooak!”
“Get away, you stupid bird!” Angus’ voice tore through me. He was holding me down with his knee in my back, and fighting off the raven with his hands. After one particularly terrified croak, the raven gave up, and swooped away.
“What’s going on here?” People began to crowd around, staring down at us in confusion. I tried to speak, but I still couldn’t get enough air.
Writing the Wolf: A wolf shifter paranormal romance (Wolves of Crookshollow Book 2) Page 17