Brother.

Chapter XXVI

        Shane hadn’t been lying about the car swap and the beat up old Hyundai we were now in was completely different to the lush Mercedes we’d left Scott’s place in. I thought the eye mask, handcuffs and earplugs were a little dramatic, and despite being let go, we were far from being free.

We could go home, or stay in the city; it didn’t matter just as long as on the full moon Danny and I would be with Scott for my first change. If we ran with our family, I didn’t doubt Scott’s ability to find us. It didn’t really matter, I had already accepted that part of this, but the fact he banned me from seeing Michael was a surprise, mostly because that restriction didn’t apply to Danny.

 ‘It’s a trap. The Blakes are missing except for their Dad, so by setting us loose he’s waiting for them to find us.’ Danny told me. ‘We’ll be watched at all times.’

 I prayed Michael and even his brothers wouldn’t be stupid enough to fall for it, and unable to talk about it anymore without going over and over the same facts, I let Danny keep thinking about ways to get out of this. All I could focus on was a smell, well a scent, that I would be a lot happier with being far away from me - Ben.

 It was he who took off our blindfolds and as the driver stopped the car, it took me a few seconds to work out where we were. This was the street my Nanna lived on and looking out the front, the driver now had a small black hand gun aimed at me as Ben took off the cuffs. Danny and I were able to remove the earplugs and the gun was then handed to Ben, which didn’t comfort me at all.

Glaring at him, I noticed the way he started to sweat and as his eyes darted to Danny, he swallowed the lump in his throat while rubbing his thumb on the side of the handle. He was terrible at hiding his nerves and I dared to look at Danny to find him a mirror of my own intentions to severely hurt the other werewolf. Judging from Ben’s reaction, he didn’t doubt that we could do it.

  Is that what Scott saw when he looked at us?

 All of that was forgotten as I realised we were slowing down and my stomach sank at the sight of my Mums car out the front of Nanna’s house.

 “Out. Now!” The driver yelled.

Danny grabbed my arm and I was being pulled out of the door, as my brother didn’t seem to be as reluctant to get out as I was since my focus was more on Ben than freedom. I’m not sure when I got comfortable being around thugs and guns, but there was no relief as we made it onto the sidewalk and the car sped away, leaving nothing other than burnt rubber behind.

 “Come on.” Danny ended up holding my hand as we went down the driveway and I could feel how nervous he was about going inside.

 “Joy!” Will called out to my Nanna.

 Two shadows moved behind the curtains as we made it the front door and the door was flung open before we hit the porch space. I nearly head butted Danny as Nanna put an arm around each of our necks and pulled us all in for a group hug.

 “Mum?” Dad called, and suddenly there wasn’t enough room in the doorway as everyone tumbled out.

 “Oh my babies!” Nanna was cast aside as Mum took her place, before Dad grabbed Danny by the shoulders and nearly crushed him with a hug – then did the same to me. “You’re back!”

 The detachment I had been feeling from everything vanished at the sight of my crying Mum, and even Dad was wet-eyed. I don’t think I’d ever been this emotional, and as Mum kept hold of me murmuring promises that everything was okay now, I believed her and let everything I had been ignoring and pushing aside out.

 Eventually we were all in Nanna’s living room with cups of tea being passed around and somehow she even managed to put a plate of biscuits out. Danny and I sat silently with mugs of hot chocolate on a chair that wasn’t exactly made for two, while a million questions were thrown our way.