It takes my brain a while to process the fact that Asher and Zander are standing right in front of me, eyes flickering curiously from my stiff posture to the shaking girl in my arms. Their irresistible features look even more threatening as the darkness of the alley casts shadows over one-half of their faces, letting the glow of the moon illuminate the other. I blink, momentarily entranced, as the light catches the steely blue in Asher's right eye as he stares at me intensely. But then I remember how mad I am at him for compromising my friendships and for being such an arsehole.
"Looking for something?" he says casually, holding up a pink fluffy teddy bear with a grin. For a second I'm struck with wonder at how rejuvenating that smile is on his face, but when I snap out of it, it's too later. His grin widens and he winks at me endearingly. "I think the bet is already won." Zander stares at us both closely, as if he's mulling something over in his head and can't quite fathom its outcome.
"For the last time, I don't give a shit about your challenge. I'm not a toy, and maybe you should imprint that in that tiny little brain of yours," I snap, ignoring the loud bark of laughter that suddenly protrudes from Zander. He earns a death glare from his friend and meticulously shuts back up.
"Can I have my teddy bear please?" Mary's voice breaks our exchange and all eyes fly to her as she turns her little pale face towards the two huge males. She frowns and starts struggling against my protective hold when it gets a bit tighter because of the way that they scan her, their eyes taking on a dark glint as they analyse her like she's a threat. She's five years old for God's sake!
Asher looks at her, then at me, and then back again. He holds out the bear and waits for her to take it, the fluffy little thing hanging in the air between them like a peace offering. When Mary's expression suddenly goes darker and takes on a surprisingly threatening edge, Asher takes a surreptious step back, and I give both him and Zander one of my own taunting smiles.
Never mess with the little one. Oh, this is gonna be goooood.
"Where is the bow," Mary demands a bit too calmly, her voice getting icier and less innocent as the seconds tick by. The two men are speechless as they watch the cute and innocent little girl in my arms turn into a feisty thing, ready to bite their heads off any second. When she snaps her fingers - she actually snaps them - they begin scrambling around for the damn bow desperately, and I almost let out an amused giggle at the frightened expression on their faces.
"You had it," Zander exclaims with bewilderment, pushing a garbage container right over onto its side.
"No shit Sherlock," Asher hisses back. "It's somewhere on the ground."
"What the fuck is it doing there?"
"I don't fucking know man! Just shut up and look!"
"I can't believe this, we're gonna die at the hands of a three-year-old girl."
"Being a tad over-dramatic aren't they," I whisper to Mary, who giggles secretively.
"And I'm five, not three," she points out loudly. Zander raises his head from his crouched position on the ground with wide eyes.
"What was that?"
"Shut the fuck up Zander!"
"Here it is," Zander finally exclaims, a relieved look on his face as he branches the little, silky, red ribbon high in the air as if it's a million-dollar trophy. He takes a cautious step back when I settle Mary down onto her feet. She approaches him steadily, holding his gaze even though she's a tiny, feeble thing compared to his massive structure. When she takes the bear gently from his trembling ands and gives him a wide toothy smile, he actually lets out a huge sigh of relief and forces a tight smile back. I take her little hand in mine when she's come back to me, smiling to myself as she looks around nervously and clutches the little bear tightly in her arms. Gone is the strong-minded girl. She's now reminded that we're still standing in a pitch-black alley, save for the moon's glow that pools at our feet and casts lateral strips across the bricks on both side walls. I squeeze her hand gently to reassure her, and she huddles closer to my leg. Suddenly a thought comes back to me and all the amusement vanishes, replaced by a dark feeling that's been gnawing at the back of my mind since this afternoon.
"You owe me answers," I let out, watching carefully as both of their expressions darken considerably and a harsh but warning glint begins to swim in Asher's eyes. "Both of you."
"I don't owe you shit." Zander growls. Oh yes, that's right, he wasn't in the car this afternoon with the rest of us. Guess who doesn't give a flying fuck? That's right. Me.
"Zander," Asher warns, and his friend calms down, much to my surprise. So Asher does hold some kind of control over them. What was it Jasper said? This is much worse than a gang. I look down at Mary who meets my eyes, completely oblivious to the frenzy that's about to be unleashed. I can't drag her into whatever hellish situation this is. I'll get my answers calmly and go.
"I don't know what it is you expect from me Camilla, I really don't, but trust me when I say that it'll be much easier for all of us if you'd just stay out of this," Asher counters lowly, his eyes penetrating me completely. A tempering rage begins to simmer underneath the surface of my skin and I feel Mary tug at my hand. Breathe, Camilla, breathe.
"This. What is this Asher," I hiss, watching irritably as annoyance takes up residence on the edges of his features.
"You never stop, do you? It's none of your business," he insists, his tone dropping to a much lower level.
Okay, so he's not going to tell me? Let's start soft, and then I'll go in for the kill.
"How old are you? All of you," I begin simply, trying my best to cover the anger in my veins that's gradually turning my blood into boiling lava. "It's a simple question." They both share a look and Zander nods, crossing his eyes and fixing his cold eyes on me.
"Emma's-"
"I know how old she is," I cut him off, waving a hand to stop him. "She's my best friend, and we'll be graduating together."
"You'd be surprised at how little you know about her," Zander mutters under his breath, but I catch it and my eyes narrow as they zone in on the twitch in his jaw.
"Excuse me?"
"Do you want answers or not Camilla," Asher cuts in, momentarily diverting my attention from his friend. I keep a lingering look on Zander before ripping it away and bringing my full concentration to Asher. The way he says my name doesn't go unnoticed, like a soft breeze carrying the distinctive aroma of a youthful forest, the cool morning after a shower of rain. I frown and shake my head as something transpires over me, but it's evaporated again as I regain focus. However, Asher's eyes seem to glaze over for a second before they zoom in on me again. He takes in a deep breath and trembles course through his body. Zander's eyes widen and he places a firm hand on his friend's shoulder, saying something in a hurried voice, too low for my own ears to catch. I tug at Mary's hand who has no idea what to do except for stand there.
"We'll be gone soon," I whisper to her and give a slight smile, to which she quickly responds with a little nod and her own toothy grin. But I can see that it's strained and only half-hearted. The nerves are taking over her, and usually, a child's instincts are more trustworthy than your own. A slight panic begins to nudge itself further to the front of my mind, and I cast a furtive glance at our surroundings. A cat meows, but otherwise, we seem to be alone. After what seems like an eternity, Asher's eyes finally open again and Zander drops his hand, taking a step away from his friend cautiously. I tilt my head, perplexed.
"So? Are you going to tell me what that was about or-"
"Jasper and Jack are both 18. They're in your year," Asher grits out icily, obviously disregarding my previous question which only boils my annoyance even more. "Zander is 20 and Damien is my age."
"Which is?"
"21," he says this with more control, searching my face for any sign of - whatever it is he's looking for.
Okay, not bad, not bad.
Wait, why would I care how old he is?
I don't.
"Okay, that's a start. That wasn't so hard now was it," I begin, ignoring the little furious tugs at my hand. Mary's completely set to go, but this might be my only chance for any answers I'll ever get. And I can't keep living in the dark, I just can't. Even if I get out of this place after I graduate, that little haunting gloom that I'd never managed to unravel will keep on following me until the insanity takes over. "Wait," I manage slowly, dread clouding my mind. "If Damien and Zander are 21 and 20, why do I always see them at school? I mean, you can't be that stupid," I let out, standing my ground when Zander lets out an animalistic noise and takes an intimidating step forwards. Asher immediately holds him back and utters an indistinctive command to which Zander begrudgingly complies. I stand my ground and place one hand on my hip. "I get that you're overprotective Zander, but seriously; do you really think that Emma fancies the whole caveman possessiveness thing you've got going on?" I cock and eyebrow, smirking when Zander's expression switches from a calm facade to a furious one. Why am I enjoying this so much?
"You really shouldn't test me. I can't promise to keep cool if you anger me," he hisses, eyes flaring that golden colour again. I notice clandestinely that Asher is barely managing to control his anger that dances in his eyes like an ignited flame. His reaction to Zander's words is lethal.
"You aren't yourself when you're angry? What is this, some sort of twisted hidden camera Snickers commercial?" I laugh out.
"You should go now, Camilla." Asher's tone leaves no room for arguing, but I've never been the one to give up. I came here for answers, and I will leave with as many as I can get.
"I'm cold Cami," Mary whispers uncertainly, fixing her wide blue eyes on Asher with inquietude.
"You know, if you're not going to give me any more answers, then I know two of our mutual friends who would love to help. One of which I know for a fact isn't on your good side."
"You've already used that threat before Camilla, but it doesn't seem to have played out that well for you," he smoothly answers back, keeping his voice at a steady dark tone. I flinch at his words and squeeze Mary's hand tighter in mine involuntarily, fixing all of my seething attention on Asher. He tilts his head as if he knows that I hear the truth behind his words.
"Excuse me? Is that a challenge? Because I'd happily play you game," I begin, voice suddenly trembling with rage. "In fact, I'm sure our dear friend Killian would love to help me out."
"My help never comes without a price princess," Killian's voice chirps up inside of my head, his tone seeming more than happy than ever to discuss terms on an arrangement. I grit my teeth with annoyance and watch Asher's expression severe at the obvious intrusion in my head.
Do I have a big flashing sign above me that says CRAZY PSYCHO IS LIVING IN MY BRAIN?
"What do you want to know," Asher suddenly snaps, fisting his hands together and scanning my face with anger. I bite back a satisfied grin and narrow my eyes rather playfully, completely oblivious to Mary's shakes of my hand that are becoming more and more urgent. This is when I really should have trusted her child instinct and left this place.
"Everything," I let out in a long breath and silence suddenly reigns thickly in the atmosphere, casting shadows and gloom over our already dark surroundings. The word hangs like a thin thread in between us as we all contemplate each other.
"Camilla, I want to go home now," Mary speaks up, turning her head away as Zander looks over to her. I glare at him and he gives a sly smile, turning his knuckles white from the anger that he's still holding back in his fisted hands.
"Are you sure you want this Camilla? There'll be no turning back." Asher's last warning rings in my ears but no reason greets it back from the nerves in my brain. I thin my lips together and give a curt nod, squeezing Mary's hand tighter for a little slim ounce of reassurance.
God I'm the worst sister in the world. I'm so going to buy her an extra large Christmas present after making her wait this long in fear.
"If we're going to just stand here all evening, I'll really rather just seal the deal with Killian," I declare bruskly after a moment's wait of just staring at one another. This seems to get to Asher and the last bit of self-control that he has managed to keep hold of until now vanishes from him completely, leaving a lethal creature in its stead. My eyes go wide and flip between both guys as the most horrific changes roll over their bodies in waves. Mary lets out a scream and buries her face in my sweater as muscles all over their bodies pump and double in size, letting their height tower over us in several feet. Their clothes rip into shreds and two horrifyingly majestic beasts standing on both legs greet us with flickering golden eyes and lips pulled back in a snarl. Their bodies cover themselves with different shades of fur and two, massive lycathropes suddenly stand before us regally, pulled straight out of a horror movie. I pick my baby sister up and take several steps back, too shocked to rip my eyes away from the transformation happening before me. This isn't supposed to happen. Has my sanity really already flown out the window?
Finally, I muster the courage to turn and run, gripping Mary's shaking form firmly in my arms at each bounce when my feet hit the pavement. The alley seems so much longer now that I'm running for my life, but I let out a relief among our blurry surroundings as light from the Christmas market grows brighter at the end. Suddenly a huge form lunges and bolts past us with inhuman speed, landing on both of its feet with outstanding gracefulness, golden flames staring at us dangerously. I bite back a scream and spin around, only to be greeted by another one of the lycanthrope's rippling bodies looming over me. Asher's steely gaze, spotted by golden rays, stares down at me from high above, and I crane my neck as he locks our stares, squeezing Mary in tighter to my chest.
They have us cornered.
°°°°
A/N: YO GUYS!
This was a shorter chapter than the previous ones, so sorry about that, but I just feel like I haven't uploaded in a while and I wanted to get this up.
SOOOOOO... how do you think Camilla will react?
I will say it again, Zander and Asher's wolf forms aren't real wolves on four legs, but half men half wolves standing on both feet. I honestly can't remember what they're called... Lycanthrope?
Anyways, I had a teeth surgery and my cheek looks like a freaking balloon right now, it's not even funny. BUT I HOPE YOU ENJOYED!
Next part is Cami's reaction annnnndddd, more secrets unravelled ;-)
OOOOOH and BY THE WAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 40K+ READS ON FROZEN TEARS LIKE OH MY GOSH I JUST CAN'T!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
Thank's for reading guys, I love you so so so much <3
-Sophia, xoxo