Hunted

Chapter 20 - Instinct vs logic

"Where are we going?" A low easy drawl came from behind me. Clayton moved from the back seat into the front seat in an easy jump, ignoring me as he moved there, eyes moving to fix on me with a calm stare. "Sales are over."

"Get out." I tried to get the stupid car to move faster. The stick thing was impossible, I couldn't figure it out, when I seemed to get one good position for the stick, it seemed to fail. The four wheel drive was lurching and struggling to move at a speed that Clayton could have easily hopped out at. We were past the entrance already, I'd managed to get this far, so I could figure the rest out. "What's with this manual car?" 

"I'm not going anywhere."

"I have to get my nephew." I had to kill him. Tear out throat. Rage. Scream. I had to kill the bastard. He thought I was helpless? He didn't see what I'd do if he touched my helpless nephew. "I have to kill the bastard."

"What you have to do is stop the car and I'll take you back. Your nephew is safe."

"He's not safe. Did you see the photo? They have him." I growled, slamming my hand against the car, trying to get it to work. It wasn't working properly. How did people make manuel cars go. 

"They do." He didn't argue with that. "And why do you think they kept him alive and sent us that photo? They could have killed him after the fire. Saved themselves the cost of sneaking him over somehow from Australia without getting attention. This is to get you to come scampering back, pure and simple, running back to them like a good little pet."

The word pet nearly made me snap the steering wheel. I growled, hands squeezing, aware that driving on freezing roads was apparently harder than I thought. Even when I wasn't really going anywhere. 

"He's my family. I have to protect him. He's just five years old, Clayton. He's Logan's age." Did everyone know about the fire? Clayton hadn't been in the room with us. I wondered how long Jeremy had been sitting on this one. I swore as a pair of cars overtook us, driving fast, speeding and shaking ours. Why couldn't I get it to MOVE. Who bought manuals these days anyway?

Clayton's face tensed for a moment, and he nodded, but he didn't give. "I know he is. Jer told me. But think about what'll happen when you get there. He's a pest to them- just a human child. They're keeping him alive because he's valuable to you that way. If he dies-" He ignored my sudden wrench on the stick thing, ignored my swearing, as the car failed again "-they loose their advantage and you suddenly don't need to go near them. Do you? The second you drive this thing out of our protection they'll hunt you down, snatch you up, and get rid of him."

"They'll hurt him if I wait."

"Maybe but they won't kill him. If they get you, they'll hurt you a hell of a lot more and hurt the Pack. I'm not going to allow you to hurt my family with a stupid impulse."

"They won't hurt the pa-"

"You're Nick's mate now, Anne, and like ot ir not that makes you his wife. No weddings needed.  So you're pack-sister now. My sister. Elena's sister. If they hurt you, they'll do it to hurt us, and darling, you better believe that they'll make sure they don't just hurt you, they'll send us videos of it."

"I'm your sister?" I didn't answer the wife part. It had made me flinch, I hadn't realised that the word 'wife' was more frightening to me than 'love'. My eyes got off the car and the road for a second to meet Clayton's face. He nodded and I tried it, tried the word out, stumbling a bit over it. "What if I was his human wi... that thing?"

"I'm not gonna lie, I'm not one for humans. Can't stand them. But the second Nick decided on you was the second you become a sister, human or werewolf, and if there's one thing I do care about, it's protecting my family."