Liam’s jaw clenched. “That is enough. Not here. Do you understand me?”
Tate glanced at Janelle as if remembering she was there. He backed down, stepping away from Liam. Jerking his head to the side, he stormed off across the parking lot, where two cars were parked. His group left with him.
Silence settled across the parking lot. Millie walked up to Liam’s side. They looked at each other. Something passed between them; it was unspoken but Liam relaxed slightly. She turned to look at Janelle.
“I’m sorry about that.” She tilted her head to the side slightly. “I know you, don’t I? From high school?”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s been ages.” Janelle wanted to ask questions but wasn’t sure if letting Liam know she was aware of the pack would be a good thing. Millie must know. She wasn’t a werewolf either because Janelle could sense her.
“Sorry again for them bothering you.” Liam said.
“Will Jake be okay?” Janelle asked. “They don’t like him. They don’t understand him.”
He frowned slightly. “Understand?”
“That’s right. What Jake is doing. I wanted him to talk to you about it…” She trailed off, realizing her slip-up.
Liam’s eyes widened slightly but it was Millie who spoke, “You’re aware then? Of Jake’s…condition.”
“Yes. He didn’t tell me. It’s…complicated.”
Liam straightened, his posture relaxing slightly. “Jake is at odds with the pack, yes. But I assume he is buying up artifacts and land for a reason. I assume he will talk to me about it when he is ready. But if you see him before I do, let him know he needs to make his plans clear sooner rather than later. The pack is getting restless. He is a recluse among us and it hurts his standing. Tate isn’t the only one that is weary of him.”
Millie touched his arm and he seemed to soften under her touch. There were dark circles under his eyes but he looked alert. Janelle couldn’t imagine being pack leader. She barely understood the politics of a pack. All she knew was that people didn’t trust Jake and he could be in danger.
“Can’t you do something? As pack leader?” Janelle asked.
“Jake needs to come into the pack on his own. I can’t force him. I knew bringing him into the pack was a risk because he is so reclusive. But he was a danger to others if we didn’t pull him in.” Liam replied.
She felt hopeless, sighing. The snow had thickened, leaving flakes in her hair and lining the pavement. Liam didn’t seem bothered by it.
“Are you sure you will be okay getting home?” He asked, “I can make sure someone comes with you.”
“No, I’m fine.” She said quickly, balking at the idea of some strange werewolf being her escort. “But thank you.”
“I’ll try to reach Jake and talk to him. You should do the same. He doesn’t have friends here in St. Neuri. You must be the closest thing he has if Tate is trying to get ahold of you.”
Janelle felt as if she had stepped into an alternate dimension. A fashion designer dating the pack leader who was trying to keep werewolf politics in line and protect Jake. This whole time, Janelle thought she was the weird one for her visions. Now, it turned out, she might be more normal than most.
“I’ll give you my number. Just in case.” Liam said.
“Mine too.” Millie chimed in.
After exchanging numbers, Liam got back into the truck. Millie hovered for a moment before heading towards the passenger side. As Janelle stood there, the ground seemed to shake under her and she was yanked forward –
Long day at work. Things were picking up. Millie yawned. She stepped into the bedroom, ready to curl up and sleep. But Liam was still awake. Down on one knee. Ring in the box, opening for her to see. Marriage. Millie gasped, shocked, happy, exclaiming yes, yes, yes, of course –
“Are you alright?” Millie’s voice sliced cleanly through the vision, pulling Janelle back to the present.
She smiled. “Yeah. Don’t worry about me. Thank you again for your help.”
Millie nodded tentatively before getting in the truck. A few seconds later, it pulled out of the parking lot, leaving Janelle behind. Her head ached a bit from the vision but this time she didn’t mind. A vision of happiness seemed so rare that she let herself enjoy it for once.
Chapter Seven
Even though Janelle was jumpy from the encounter, she still went to the store to pick up some groceries. As she tried to focus on shopping, her mind drifted. It alarmed her that Tate cornered her like that. Would they come after her again? Was she in serious trouble?
Janelle felt as though she was on information overload recently. Jake, the werewolves, running into the pack leader, finding out her old friend was involved with them – she was juggling a lot mentally and other things were falling to the wayside. Work was on the back burner and it was only a matter of time until Eliza noticed. How long could she burn the candle at both ends?
Janelle wasn’t sure it was even possible to pull herself out of this. Tate could easily believe Jake and she were closer than they actually were, and keep coming after her. The frustrating aspect of it all was if they just sat down and talked things out, everything would be settled – at least, she hoped so.
Part of her wanted to excuse herself from the entire affair. But a larger part of her couldn’t stop dwelling on Jake. Their lack of communication upset her – even more now that she knew Tate was still gunning for him. Did she warn him? Liam would be sure to tell him what was going on.
Frustrated, she reached for a box of cereal when that horrible sensation swept over her out of the blue. It was different from the other visions that came to her. Much more intense, swirling over her and tugging her out of herself, sending her up, up, up –
Tate, crashing through the window, bursting into the house. Jake, startled, turning around to see four wolves in his house. He was cornered, pressed against the wall, startled into silence as he stared at them. Tate howled, kicking off with his back legs, knowing that he had Jake now – there was no escape – this would end things neatly –
She was tossed out of the vision, gasping in shock, hunched over in the aisle, gripping the cereal box tightly in her hand. Janelle blinked quickly, looking around. No one was around. She straightened up quickly, aware that her skin was flushed and she was sweating.
Had that been a vision? She hadn’t received a vision from any werewolves yet, especially when she wasn’t even close to them. But Janelle knew the rules were rewritten when it came to them. She didn’t understand it exactly but there was no time to analyze how she received a vision.
Jake was in trouble. She needed to get ahold of Liam and try to warn Jake. Fumbling for her phone, she left her cart behind, hurrying out of the shop. Night had fallen and a bitter winter wind kicked up, slicing through her jacket, making her shiver.
Her fingers already felt frozen as she brought up Jake’s number and called. It went right to voicemail. Frustration and panic brimmed. There was no telling exactly when this vision would occur. Five years from now or five minutes from now. She left a message but felt that he wouldn’t get it until it’s too late.
On the way to the car, Janelle tried calling Liam. The phone rang and rang, each second spreading out before her, until it went to voicemail.
“Liam, hi, sorry to call you already. But I think Tate is going to go to Jake’s house with his friends and do something bad. I can’t explain how I know. You just have to trust me and get over there as quickly as you can, please. Please.” She unlocked her car, hanging up the phone and sitting still for a moment.
There was no telling when Liam would get the message. That left her no choice. She started the car and started pulling out of the parking lot. She needed to get to Jake’s house, warn him or make sure he was okay. She had no idea what she would do when she got there – if she could even get past the gate house. But Janelle knew that Jake was in real trouble. She couldn’t let anything happen to him.
The drive to Jake’s felt endless. Each mile w
as a journey, and the entire time, Janelle kept wishing her phone would ring with Jake or Liam telling her everything was fine. Her heart thudded in her chest and the intensity of the vision made her feel ill.
But all she could think about was Tate bursting into Jake’s house and hurting him. Did werewolves always do this? Act first and wonder about the questions later? How did Millie end up in this world if Janelle struggled to make sense of it?
The moon was high in the sky by the time she was driving towards the gatehouse. She hoped Jake hadn’t removed her from the list although she supposed it didn’t matter. She would tell the guard to call for help –
But the thought died as she saw the gate. It was wide open, off its hinges, laying haphazardly across the ground. The guard house was empty but her headlights revealed the slim fingers of a guard poking out of the window.
Fear struck her so acutely that her breath caught. They were already here. She was too late. Janelle got out of her car, hurrying towards the gate house. She went around to the side, where the door was torn off, in pieces on the ground. The guard appeared unhurt. Janelle crouched next to him, seeing his chest rising and falling. Unconscious. Relief swept through her momentarily until she wondered if she should call someone.
The police could stumble into something they weren’t supposed to know. But this man could be hurt and she just couldn’t tell. On top of that, Jake could be injured and needing medical attention right away.
She pulled her phone out of her pocket, unlocking it to call 911. But the top of her screen showed her the last thing she wanted to see: no service.
“What?” Janelle mumbled, “No way.”
She tried dialing anyway but the call didn’t connect. Frustration bloomed inside her chest, spreading out across her body. No service! How could that possibly be? Her throat went dry at the thought of this being intentional. Tate didn’t seem smart enough to block cellphone coverage but she didn’t know about anyone else in his group.
Exhaling slowly, trying to get a handle on the situation, she hurried back to her car. Time was ticking. She could feel it over her head, the seconds slipping past her, making each moment worse. Flooring the gas pedal, Janelle took off down the winding pathway towards Jake’s mansion, unsure what she would find. She had no plan. Her vision clearly already occurred, hadn’t it? Who knew what she would be walking into.
The mansion appeared, sprawling out in front of her like a glittering jewel. This time, Janelle couldn’t stop to admire it. She slammed on the brakes in front of the house, the car protesting loudly as she scurried out.
Slamming against the front door, Janelle tried the handle. Locked. She pounded on the door, knowing it was fruitless, calling out for Jake. She was about to give up and go around back when the door suddenly swung open.
A bewildered Jake stood in front of her. He wore a baggy shirt with pajama bottoms, his hair messy, his eyes narrowing when he saw her.
“Janelle? What is going on?”
“Jake! Are you okay? Are you hurt?” She asked, pushing inside the house, looking around before turning to face him. “Your guard – he’s unconscious. But the cellphones are being blocked or something. I can’t call for help.”
“Whoa, whoa, slow down.” Jake said, holding up his hands. “Janelle, why are you here? What are you talking about?”
She pulled up short, confusion stopping her. After a couple of seconds, she spoke, “I mean…Tate. Coming here. Being attacked,” When Jake showed no visible sign of understanding, Janelle kept going, “I…saw it. Somehow. And when I got here, the guard at the gate was unconscious. I wanted to call 911 but there was no service. I tried calling you earlier to warn you but…well, no phone service. Are you telling me nothing has happened here?”
“Uh, no.” He moved past her and she trailed after him into the living room. The fireplace was lit, filling the room with warmth. Nothing seemed amiss.
Could it be possible that Janelle had arrived in the oddest time? Tate and his group would be moving ever closer to the mansion and Jake was still oblivious. Somehow, Janelle got here in the process of everything going to shit.
But that still gave her enough time to change how things would unfold. She wouldn’t let this slip through her fingers.
Jake picked up his phone off the coffee table. There was a laptop sitting there as well as files shoved full of papers. It looked as if he had been here for quite some time, working on something. But Janelle couldn’t focus on that. She kept glancing at the closed windows, convinced Tate was just outside.
“You’re right. No service. But the winds have kicked up pretty hard. Could have knocked something over.”
“Jake, the guard –”
“He might have just fallen unconscious due to some other reason. I should get out there though, get him in my car and to the hospital.”
“Jake, why are you brushing me off?” She demanded, grabbing his arm to stop him from moving around. “I told you. I had a vision. I saw Tate coming here. Your guard is unconscious and we have no phone service. You don’t seem to be taking me seriously at all.”
“You said it yourself that you don’t know when your visions will actually occur. What if this happens five years from now and you’re panicking over nothing?”
“I’m not!” Janelle realized she was yelling and exhaled. “I was cornered. By Tate and his friends just outside work. They thought they could hurt me to get to you. Liam stopped them.”
At this, Jake went completely frozen. His lips twitched for a moment before his face became impassive. Impossible to know what he was thinking. But he turned to face her. “Are you hurt?”
“No. I’m fine, really. But they were angry. They don’t like you. They think you’re hiding things from the pack. The usual. They seemed pissed off enough to do something rash. Like come here and deal with you themselves.” Her breath caught as the memory of the vision washed over her. “Through the window. They come through the window, in wolf form, and you’re cornered. You have no shot. I didn’t need to see the end of the vision to know what happens, Jake.”
It was as if Jake hadn’t heard her. “I thought if we didn’t talk, you’d be safe.”
“What?”
“I wanted you safe. If it was discovered what you could do – I just didn’t want the pack taking an interest in you. I wanted you to be okay. That’s why I just…”
“That’s why you just stopped talking to me.” Realization dawned on her, startling her into silence.
“Don’t you understand, Janelle? If my pack discovered you could see the future or their past…things get muddled, confusing for them. You’re an element St. Neuri doesn’t know what to do with. You need to be safe.”
“I don’t need to be protected. You’re the one that needs protection.” Janelle replied curtly, knowing time was running out. “Jake, I want to discuss this. But we can’t here. We need to get out of here. Tate could come through that window at any second.” She turned around, tugging him along with her, determined to get out of the house.
“Janelle, wait, I have to tell you –” He protested.
But whatever Jake needed to tell her was lost in a cacophony of noise. The glass shattered, there was a howling noise so loud that Janelle winced, and the front door exploded, flying across the foyer and crashing into a vase which promptly toppled off its display case and fractured into a thousand pieces, skittering across the marble floor.
Jake pushed Janelle against the wall, pinning her between him and a painting that dug painfully into her back.
A wolf stood in the middle of the living room as five other wolves stalked into the space. The wind cut through the broken windows, causing Janelle’s teeth to chatter. She gripped the back of Jake’s shirt.
She had arrived in time but the vision was still playing out the same.
Chapter Eight
Tate crept towards them. His nails left scratches on the marble floor. His lips curled back, rows and rows of teeth exposed. It was unlike any creature Janell
e had seen before. The beast stood up on his back legs, exposing taunt muscles under layers of fur and claws that could easily slice her in half. His eyes narrowed in on Jake.
She knew what would happen next. Tate would lunge at Jake. She needed to stop it from happening.
“Tate, I know this is you. Stop this. I’m not fighting you.” Jake said calmly.
“He isn’t here to fight.” Janelle hissed.
But Jake didn’t stop talking to Tate, trying to calm him down. The wolves closed in. Too many of them to take on. All she had successfully done so far was lead herself to a certain death. The frame of the painting irritated her skin but a thought struck her.
The wolves paid her no attention. They had come here for Jake. She would merely be another body to get rid of. As Tate snarled and another wolf howled, time seemed to slow down. Tate kicked off the ground, lunging towards Jake who pushed Janelle away from him to protect her.
But her fingers gripped the frame of the painting and she tugged it off the wall as she stumbled. Up this close, seeing the fur rippling across Tate’s body, Janelle swung the painting at him. The heavy frame smashed into Tate as Jake pushed off to the side, careening into another wolf.
Tate hit the floor, looking as stunned as a wolf could. Jake had also hit the floor from the impact of hitting the other wolf. The pack seemed surprised by the turn of events, giving Janelle precious seconds to tug Jake to his feet.
Their hands clasped, clutching each other as Jake pulled her out of the living room and up the stairs. The way to the backyard was blocked off as was the front door. Even though the last thing Janelle wanted to do was go upstairs and possibly end up trapped, they simply had no choice.
The wolves were coming after them now, chasing them up the stairs. Janelle’s heart thudded so hard in her chest that at any second it could pop. Jake took her up another flight of stairs and then another. Behind her, she could hear the wolves drawing closer.
On the third floor, Jake opened a door and yanked her inside. He slammed the door shut and knocked a bookshelf down easily, as though it weighed nothing, and blocked it.
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