The Hunted

Chapter 20

Multiple POVs

Gabe's POV

One minute I'm standing there talking to Marc about their brunch with Callie and the next his eyes roll back in his head and he collapses. "Sean! Come quick, Marc just passed out," I yelled.

"Holy fuck, Axel did too," Nate yelled.

North roared, "Corey and Raven too!"

Sean charged into the room in a panic, "Where are Brandon and Callie? This can't be a coincidence?" As if his question were being answered, a bright light flashed and an unconscious and very naked Brandon and Callie appeared on the floor before us. "What the hell?" he gasped.

Another bright flash found us staring at a tall woman with waist-length black hair. I heard Silas gasp and fall to his knees. "Selene." His utterance had us all reeling and falling to our knees.

"Watch over them, my wolves. When they awaken, you will find the path to your answers." She cast a sad look at Callie, then vanished.

"Holy fuck, did that just happen?" I gaped. "What do we do with them?"

"Let's take them downstairs," North suggested. "We can take shifts watching over them like she said."

Luke came into the room with a pair of blankets to cover our naked couple on the floor. He gently lifted Callie in his arms, whispering, "Don't leave us now, baby. We're just getting started." He carried her down as we all helped haul the others down. I handed him a t-shirt.

"Put that on her. That way she isn't flashing all of us if she rolls over," I smiled. He gave a smirk, then pulled the shirt over her head. We placed all of them on the mattresses I'd gathered in the living room. Luke and I took the first watch as Sean checked their vitals, made notes, and then said he'd be back in a couple of hours.

"What do you think is going on?" Luke asked.

"Fuck if I know, man. I mean they must be okay if Selene is fucking involved. I can't believe she'd hurt them intentionally," I said. "Hey Luke, what happens if Sang is alive? Are we cheating by feeling this way about Callie?"

He frowned and hesitated before answering, "I don't know. I guess I'm just trying to do what Silas said and trust Selene. I really want to believe sugar is still out there, but I'm not so sure." He looked at Callie, watching her chest rise and fall steadily. "If what she said is true, then Sang - the Sang we thought we knew may have been a lie. I think that would be worse than her being dead."

His words felt like a lead weight in my stomach. "I don't know if we would fucking survive that," I said quietly.

Kota's POV

"Hey, any changes?" I asked Gabe as Nate and I came down for shift change.

"Nope, not a fucking thing. Hell, they aren't even snoring," he muttered, "It's fucking creepy."

Nate and I sat down and watched. Gabe was right, their breathing was shallow, barely even noticeable. "I wonder if they're all having the same dream?" Nate said.

It's a possibility I suppose. Then again, at this point, almost anything seems possible. After a few minutes, Luke and Gabe headed back upstairs while we continued to sit. I kept playing the other night over and over in my head - remembering the way she smelled and felt in my arms. I wanted to pull her into my arms and hold her even now.

"You really have it bad, don't you?" Nate asked, watching me closely.

"How could you tell?"

"Well the fact that Ronan's eyes are showing might be one way," he chuckled.

I hadn't even realized how close my wolf was to the surface until then. I laughed at myself, "Yeah, that might do it. I don't really understand it myself, Nate. It just feels right," I explained.

We both jolted when we heard her voice muttering, "S'il vous plaît, s'il vous plaît ne faites pas ça."

"What did she say?" Nate gasped. I shook my head, not knowing what language it was.

She sat bolt upright, her eyes wide, and gasped, "Pourquoi?" then fell back against the mattress again.

"Shit, that was French," I swore, then quickly mind-linked Gabe. Get your ass back down here! Callie started talking in French, we need you to translate.

Within moments, his footsteps pounded down the steps. "What did she say?"

"She said 'S'il vous plaît, s'il vous plaît ne faites pas ça.' Then she sat up and said, 'Pourquoi?' What does it mean?"

He stared at me with an expression like someone had kicked him then whispered, "She said, please, please don't do this, and why?" Damn, that can't be good.

We stared in confusion, when she sat up, turned toward us with glowing eyes, and spoke again, "Tous les oiseaux ne veulent pas être mis en cage." She had tears streaming down her face and her body shook as she whispered, "Je suis vraiment désolé," then she closed her eyes and slumped over, her head crashing against the coffee table.

"Fuck," Nate shouted as he jumped up and grabbed her. "Sean," he yelled as we saw the blood pouring from a gash on her forehead. Gabe had fallen to his knees and was staring blankly at her when Sean arrived.

"What the hell happened?" Sean demanded.

"We don't really know. She's been speaking in French and this last time when she sat up she was crying, then collapsed again. She hit her head on the coffee table pretty hard," I explained.

"What's wrong with Gabe?" he asked. Gabe was quietly muttering to himself and I noticed he was crying as well.

While Sean looked at Callie, I knelt beside Gabe. "What did she say?"

"I...I can't, fuck, please, it can't be true," he muttered.

I shook his shoulder roughly, then said louder, "Gabe, what did she say?"

His eyes looked haunted. "Not all birds want to be caged. I'm so sorry." It felt like I'd just been punched in the gut.  

Author's Notes:  and the plot thickens...

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