‘I’ve got a cottage we can go to near Tonbridge,’ Carl offered.
‘That’s perfect. Now. This is your last chance. Are you three ready to leave? This will be for ever. We can’t see you again, you will be in the human world for good.’
Tamriel didn’t speak. Couldn’t.
She had just found this family, this entire world of people who were like her, who understood her. And now she was leaving as quickly as she’d entered it. Sapphire had been determined to come with her, saying she didn’t want to lose the only family she had left.
Carl decided to leave too; he wanted a shot at normal life with his female, and this seemed as good a way as any to do it.
‘Yup, sure.’ Sapphire smiled.
‘Yeah, I’m in,’ Carl barked.
‘Are you sure Kaylee is going to be OK with this?’
‘Yeah, she’s so desperate for children, I think she’ll jump at the chance.’
‘Tamriel?’
She looked at Leyth. His face was cold, hard. He met her stare evenly. ‘Tam, it’s the only way. I’ve been chipped and they know it; they’ll find me if I come with you. They won’t suspect Carl. He’s a shifter, not wolf.’
Slowly, she nodded her head. It was the only way to keep her life. Not that it would be worth living without this man, this male.
‘Let’s get going then.’ Julian slapped Carl on the back and led them out of there, Leyth walked over to Tam and bent down, kissing her on the forehead.
Tears ran freely down her cheeks as he whispered to her. ‘I will see you before this ends. One last time I will see you.’ He slid something out of his pocket, a movement she felt rather than saw, the tears were falling so fast that it made her sight blurry.
‘I want you to take this,’ he whispered, pressing something cold and hard into her hands. Tam wiped a hand across her eyes and glanced down. ‘I can’t. It’s yours.’
‘You can. You’re mine, and it belongs with you.’
‘Leyth.’
‘No, Tamriel. This will protect you when I can’t.’
Tam took a deep breath, the blade was beautiful. Leyth’s bolo shone with an eerie, almost iridescent, sheen as the light hit the crystal-woven steel. It was his birthed weapon, a gift his father had given him, and she knew how much of a sacrifice this was. The blade was part of his very soul, and here he was, giving it to her because he couldn’t be by her side.
Fresh tears began to fall. She hated how pathetic she was being, but hell. She didn’t want to lose her male.
His heavy hands wiped the tears from her eyes. ‘You are my heart and soul.’ He squeezed her hand, and walked out of the room.
As the hatch closed behind him, she collapsed, crying quietly into Sapphire’s open arms.
‘You really do care for each other, don’t you?’
‘Yes,’ Tamriel sobbed.
‘You’re soul mates, aren’t you?’
‘What?’
‘You fell for each other, then your wolves met and fell for each other?’
‘Yeah.’
‘I’ve heard of it happening; they say when you find the one you know it. But I never believed it would happen so quickly. I’m so sorry you have to leave him.’
‘There is no other way.’ Saying it out loud broke Tamriel’s heart, but she knew it, right to her very core she knew there wasn’t another way out. They would never be able to see one another again. Not if she wanted to survive.
Pulling herself together, she wiped her puffy red eyes, and gathered the few things she had together, mainly clothes she had been given. She braided her long hair into a bun at the back of her head and pocketed the phone Julian had given her for emergencies. It didn’t take long before the hatch quietly opened and Carl stuck his head through. ‘Quick, we don’t have long,’ he hissed. They crept out and closed the hatch, leaving through the kitchen exit rather than the main one. The van was parked further down so it wouldn’t be heard by the magis as it left, meaning they had to hotfoot it to the woods, past the first gated entrance, and down to the rickety gates near the road before they could get into the thing.
Luckily, none of the shifters or wolves caught them; that would have been awkward. Being that they hadn’t been briefed, so as far as they were aware, the orders Julian had given them were genuine; they had to bring her back dead or alive. It was what they had to do.
Carl unlocked the van, and scooted the two girls into the back. He climbed into the driver’s seat and sped off, hammering through the country lanes, getting as many miles behind him as he could.
‘What about Kaylee?’ Saph said eventually.
‘I’ve already called her, she’s packed some bags and picked up food. She’s on the way as we speak.’
As they pulled onto the main road leading out of the town, towards the motorway, Carl skidded the van to a stop, spitting out a long line of curses.
Sapphire and Tamriel carefully poked their heads above the front seats to see what was going on.
There, stood right in front of the van, looking as menacing and brooding as ever, was Dax.
Tamriel ducked down, flattening her body against the floor of the van. If ever there was a wolf with a kill order to run into, Dax was the worst.
‘What are you doing here, man?’ Carl’s American drawl rang out as he wound down the window to talk to the wolf.
‘Carl. I know you have her in there.’ Dax’s husky, worn tones ricocheted throughout the vehicle.
‘Who?’
‘Tamriel.’ He spat.
‘Dax, don’t do this,’ Carl cautioned.
‘Carl. I run everything. I tag all the vans, I run Security. How the hell did you think you’d get away without me knowing?’ he thundered.
‘Dax, just leave it be, the Counci—’
‘I don’t give a shit about the Council. Julian is where my loyalties lie.’ He spat again, like the righteous warrior he was.
Tamriel slid Leyth’s bolo from her bag slowly, silently, holding it above her. Sapphire quietly clicked the safety off her 9mm and trained it at the front end of the van.
‘Girls. Put your weapons away.’
‘I can’t.’ Tamriel choked. ‘I will fight for my life.’
‘You have balls, female,’ Dax grumbled. ‘But put the bolo away. I’m not here to execute the kill order. Julian wouldn’t allow you to take the van if he meant for you to die.’
‘Why did you follow us, then?’
‘The van is chipped, you idiots.’
There was a silent, collective ‘ooohhh’ before Dax went on. ‘I’ve got my ride with me. Get in. I’ve got Jake with me, he’s going to take the van back to base and say he took it out to check the border if anyone asks.’
‘Thanks, man.’
‘No problem. Get in the car.’
After they’d all piled out of the van and into Dax’s car, waving Jake off, he hit the gas.
‘So where are we going?’
‘I’ve got a cottage outside of Tonbridge; we’re going to lay low there for a while.’
‘Cool, I’ve got some equipment with me to set up security and sweep the place for bugs.’
‘Dax, why are you helping us? Helping me?’ Tamriel asked.
‘You saved Alison, she’s Julian’s kin. She’s pack.’ He hesitated, making her think that perhaps there was more to he and Alison than met the eye. ‘And Leyth is my pack-brother and he clearly cares for you. I’ll help where I can.’
‘Thank you.’
They drove in silence all the way to Tonbridge, where finally they pulled off the road through a network of streets, finally coming to a small, detached cottage.
‘Kaylee is already here.’ Carl grinned, jumping out of the car and running over to his female, wrapping her in his arms. As they whispered sweet nothings to each other, Tamriel and Sapphire unloaded the car, hefting all the bags inside. Dax walked the perimeter of the property, checking for bugs and cameras, and then started setting their own security up.
Inside,
Kaylee put the kettle on to boil.
‘So, let me get this straight.’ Her short brown hair moved slightly as she tilted her head at them. ‘You’re Tamriel?’ She locked her big brown eyes onto Tam’s.
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘And you are the female responsible for all this?’ She waved her hand out in front of her.
‘Yes, ma’am. I’m so sorry.’
The shifter grinned, running around the kitchen counter and wrapping her skinny arms around Tam’s neck. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.
‘For what?’ Tam asked, confused.
‘I’ve been telling Carl to get out from underneath the Council for years; he’s always said running would be too dangerous. I’ve been telling him that it’s safer than all that bloody fighting he does. So thank you. For making him see sense.’
The older female tightened her grip, pulling Tam into another great hug before releasing her to make the tea.
Leyth had done his best to help Julian distract the Council as his female got away. He was sure to make a huge scene while got into the van, keeping the attention on him. He’d sworn, screamed and even cried.
At the end of it all, he was sure he had them convinced.
Maybe a little offended, but convinced nonetheless.
‘We can’t find her anywhere, sir,’ Raught said as he stomped through the door. ‘We’ve checked the land right to its boundaries. Her scent stops at the gate; we believe she may have left in a car.’
‘Keep searching.’ Julian spoke calmly, waving the older wolf out of the room.
‘So you’ve lost the little wolf,’ the High Lord spat.
‘It does seem that way.’
‘This is treason you know. Escaping the rule of the Council and attempting to conceal abilities from the law are punishable by death. We shall take our leave now, but I am putting a strict kill order on her head. We shall take this wolf for questioning.’ He pointed a bony finger in Leyth’s direction. ‘I want evidence that she has been disposed of. As she is wolf, bring me her tail, Julian. Or your pack shall perish.’
Bastard. What kind of sick-in-the-head-son-of-a-bitch would order such a thing? A wolf without a tail. Leyth cringed at the thought. Though his hatred for the Council, for the High Lord boiled through his veins, he kept his face straight, his eyes focused on the floor.
He couldn’t give anything away; Tamriel’s life depended on it.
Bowing his head, he nodded at Julian, then allowed himself to be led out of the mansion by the thane, who kept a firm grip on his bicep the entire time.
As they reached the steps of the building, the thane gripped both arms. ‘Ready?’
‘Yeah.’ Magi didn’t travel in cars, they travelled by magic.
The High Lord positioned himself behind the thane, placing his bony, pale fingers on the guy’s temple. Surely the thane could generate magic; he was a magi, after all? Why was the High Lord assisting him with a simple travel spell?
Leyth shrugged the thought off, it was none of his concern anyway.
Taking a deep breath, he gave himself over to the man. The pain was excruciating; he let the particles that made him whole be split apart, piece by piece, the magic washing through the very fibre of his being felt dark, sickly.
This wasn’t right. This couldn’t be right. The Council were good, they might be controlling, but the magi on the Council used only white magic; they took their energy from the earth, not from the darkness.
This didn’t feel good, however. The scent of blood washed around him as he began to disintegrate, darkness washed through him. The screams of innocent people seemed to ricochet through the air as their bodies flew through the grey plane towards their destination. He kept his eyes squeezed shut, not that he actually had any eyes to see with. He didn’t want to see, didn’t want to face what they were travelling through. This was all wrong. Very wrong.
It took only seconds for them to fly the distance to the Council’s headquarters in London, arriving at the grand entrance. As his boots reformed and hit the concrete, Leyth lost his balance. His legs felt like jelly, and his stomach rolled. Wolves were not supposed to fly. It just wasn’t natural.
As he heaved his guts up all over the Council’s pretty steps, the High Lord and his thane strolled straight past him, not even sparing him a glance.
On a single click from the thane’s fingers, two hefty minotaurs bundled him inside, walking him through the grand entrance, which smelt clean. The tiled floor squeaked underneath the rubber of his boots as he was dragged away from the gleaming beautiful foyer and through a heavy, bolted wooden door. The hallway beyond was dull, the whitewashed walls stained yellow over time. The floor was grey and had a clinical feel to it, reminding him of a hospital.
They dragged him into an industrial elevator, though Leyth was still too dizzy to work out what button they pressed. The metal thing whooshed downwards, making Leyth’s stomach roll, threatening to evict what was left once. As the metal box ground to a halt, the doors opening with a mechanic squeal, he was dragged out once more. He tried to lift his feet, to walk with them, but he couldn’t keep up with the two hefty minos. They were in full human form, but hell they were still huge. Their arms were easily the width of Leyth’s thighs; their huge chests like brick walls. He gave himself over to them, letting them continue to drag him through a myriad of hallways; each had several doors leading to various rooms. The scent of stainless steel and antiseptic hit him hard; it really did have a clinical feel to it. Something told him there was nothing good about that.
Screams echoed out around him, coming from several of the rooms. Screams that told of pain, of hurt and confusion. This was no medical clinic. These were torture chambers.
Leyth struggled against the minotaurs’ vice-like grip; he needed to get free, to help whoever was screaming. It did little to free him though; their heavy hands crushed his limbs hard enough to snap bone as they dragged him forward, down the steps into the basement of the building.
Without so much as a ‘hi-how-are-ya?’, he was thrown into a cell and the door was locked. The cold stone bit into his skin as he hit it.
‘We’ll be back for you later,’ a minotaur said, walking away.
What the hell had he gotten himself into?
Looking around the room, he found nothing but stone walls, a floor, a ceiling. They had even provided a stone slab to be used as a bed. The door was barred, metal struts cutting him off from the outside world, and the entire place was deathly silent. Not a noise.
The scent dust and mould swamped him, overriding his senses. He walked over to the slab and sat his arse down. There was no way out and nothing he could do, other than try not to worry about his female.
He wished he knew where she was. Hoped to hell she was OK.
Several hours passed. He was given water, but no food. He splashed his face, washing away the sweat and dirt smothering his skin and finally… He managed to close his eyes.
As he began to drift off, thoughts and worries of Tamriel subsiding just a little… he was hauled out of the cell. Heavy hands wrapped around his arms, jerking him upright.
The minotaurs dragged him out of his stone cell, allowing him to see the rest of the room. It was all cool stone; barred cells lined the walls, but held little life. At the end were two female guards.
They dragged him up the stairs and into one of the rooms. It looked very much the same as the hallways; whitewashed walls, plastic, clinical floor. It seemed like a hospital, but held all manner of bizarre restraints. There was a large stainless steel table in the middle and various chained handcuffs lining the walls. In the far corner there was a large cupboard. He didn’t want to know what was in it.
The minos hefted his body onto the steel table and strapped his wrists and ankles with metal cuffs. With a pair of scissors they cut through his jeans and T-shirt, peeling the material from him, leaving him in just his boxers. Well, he supposed he had to be grateful for small mercies. At least they left his manhood covered.
Looking up at them, he wanted to ask why they were doing this; his tight hold on control slipping. But as he looked at the minotaurs’ faces for the first time; their large, excessively chiselled faces, ridiculously defined, heavy chins and broad, overly muscled necks, he realised. They were tuhrned; their eyes were pitch-black, lifeless black mirrors, the circles magi used to look through. These were tombs.
‘Mr Leyth?’ A bold voice bounced off the walls and he strained his head trying to see who was there. As he did, a slither of dark magic consumed the room, making the air seem to crackle and spark around him. The minos’ eyes quickly faded, the blackness retreating to leave brown eyes that were full of life, but dead to emotion in their place. The huge shifter abruptly turned and left the room, leaving him with the man in the doorway.
‘Ah, the ever-determined rogue.’ Inhaling deeply, all Leyth could smell was death. A rotting, decaying tomb.
‘Hello, Leyth. Remember us?’ As the male walked within view, he was disgusted. The tomb was well into its rotting stage; the male’s skin was grey, his eyes glazed over and slowly turning into the soulless black pits he knew and despised.
‘Tell us where the female is.’
‘What female?’ he spat.
‘The wolf, Tamriel.’
‘I don’t know.’
‘We think you do. We know you know how to find her.’
‘I don’t know how to find her and, even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.’
The tomb walked over to the cupboard and slowly opened the doors, giving Leyth a clear view of his gnarly, bony body. It was a gruesome surprise that his skin wasn’t actually falling off of his bones, the flesh was so rotten.
Bringing out a black candle, he walked back over, lighting the tip with a match.
‘We know how to hurt you, wolf.’
‘With a candle? I doubt it.’ Its expression didn’t change as he tipped the candle over; slowly the wax began to melt, hitting his skin.