~ Chapter Sixteen ~
The wolves didn't enjoy Liz's absence at all — mostly because it made their leader irritable.
"She's been gone too long."
"Sir, it's been twenty minutes."
"She's been gone too long," Red repeated, slower, getting right up in a stoic Abraham's face. "You don't know her like I do. I'm telling you something's wrong."
The group looked like a bomb had been dropped in the middle of it. Since Liz left the warriors had dispersed, hung around the area like clothes left to dry. Some were sat leaning against the trunks, some were sculpting snowballs — some even napped on the branches of the strongest trees, letting their limp hands hang down like vines.
Red was currently eyeing one of them with a distasteful gnarl rising through his throat.
"With all do respect, sir, you said this ten minutes ago — and then five minutes before that."
"Are you challenging my judgement?"
"Err, no. I'm simply commenting on the fact that you're unusually erratic in the presence of miss—"
"There she is!" Red interrupted, hurrying closer to the tree line and watching his human come trudging down the main street. She was beautiful, amazing — and, most importantly, alive! He turned to his group. "She did it! She's alive. Isn't she amazing? Oh, just look at her — but not too closely or I'll tear your eyes out."
The sudden commotion made a warrior that'd been snoozing on a branch fall off. The snow flew around him as he hit the ground. His packmates shared looks behind their alpha's back. Ryssen whispered, fearful, "Am I missing something?"
Red was so invested in his human that it took a few seconds before he registered a second, non-human, person walking closely beside her. She had a firm hold on his upper arm and the way her right hand was hidden behind his back told Red he wasn't coming with her willingly.
His next words got caught in his throat.
It was his brother; his long lost brother in the hold of his mate.
The sight was so overthrowing that Red almost didn't notice how the two guards previously posted by the gate had disappeared. And the way the woods seemed unnaturally quiet behind them.
Almost.
He swung around just as a club came flying at his face.
With trained calm he caught it and briefly met the bloodshot eyes of his attacker before snatching it out of his hands. He spun it around and swung it at his head.
One hit and he fell to the ground.
Red looked up to realize that they weren't alone. A stampede of gangsters, lowlife of Akra, had appeared, and were quickly outmanning his warriors. There were more than a dozen, and more were pouring from the trees each passing second. They had been hiding there for a while, hoped to catch the group of tired wolves off-guard.
If he didn't help, they wouldn't be able to ward them off. But his mate was still nearing, she would wander right into the danger if he didn't warn her.
Red was torn, and he didn't have much time.
The decision was made for him when someone came charging at his knees with a steel rod.
Chris and Liz both jumped back as someone flew head first out of the trees. He was screaming with so much terror it made a group of birds leave the trees in the distance but his voice soon turned into a pained whimper as he hit the dirt between the two. Two pair of wide eyes watched him. He was a thin man with torn clothes, and Liz noticed a few missing teeth as he writhed and cried.
"What the fuck?" Liz looked to the trees. "Oh no, that's where Red is!"
Chris carefully eyed the forest as if it'd suddenly puke out another wolf but then brought his attention to the hurt man. He took a few apprehensive sniffs. Then five very certain steps back towards the gate.
"What're you doing?"
"That man is very bad news. I have to get out of here before he sees me — and if you know what's good for you, you'll do the same."
She raised her gun but her hold was sweaty and uncertain. "Stop right there. We have to help Red."
"He'll be fine. We on the other hand?" Chris decided to let her imagine the rest for herself and turned around, getting ready to run. Just as he disappeared behind the wall, and Liz released a half-hearted shot to where he'd just stood, commotion came from the woods. A few men, looking a lot scarier than the man on the ground, came rushing out.
They spotted her.
And then the man by her feet.
"She has a weapon!" one shouted and grabbed a firmer hold of his bat. To Liz's horror it was bloody and with nails running through the head of it. "Get her!"
Liz gave one last look to the trees, gulped, and then took off running.
She made it back in through the gate before stopping, looking around the street. Deserted. No sign of Chris. A harrowing sensation filled her gut as she realized she was on her own with three angry wolves on her tail. Hearing the men catch up, Liz made a quick decision and shot off into the nearest alley. She made sure her steps were light and kept an eye on the street outside as she backed further into the dark.
Something moved in her peripheral.
Liz turned around just in time to see a foot disappear onto the roof. Her eyes widened.
"Hey!" she whispered.
The relief when Chris' head popped over the edge, and hardened eyes looked down at her, was surreal. She immediately wondered how he'd gotten up there but knew from one look that she probably wouldn't be able to achieve much alone. He must've jumped between the two buildings to get up.
Liz stuffed the gun into her lining and reached a hand towards him. "Pull me up."
Chris didn't move.
"Come on! They're coming."
This time he did move but it wasn't in the direction she'd hoped. His head disappeared and she heard his steps pick up. She was left shocked. "What're you doing?! Come back!"
"I won't!" he yelled back. "You see, if you survive then I want to be far away from here when you get back to Red — although I doubt you will. If those guys don't get you then I'm sure something else will. Good luck, Elizabeth! You'll need it."
In lack of something else to do, Liz rammed her fist into the brick. It hurt like hell but she barely paid attention. "You fucker!" she yelled to the rooftops. "Get back here right now!"
But he was gone.
And the men must've heard her by then.
Liz looked around as if her salvation would just appear out of thin air. Needless to say it didn't. But what she did see was a container. It was pushed away into the corner and producing a stench so strong it made Liz's eyes water as she neared. She grabbed the handle, began dragging the container towards the wall in short, struggled tugs. On the street outside she could hear the men, and in her head she heard her heart race to the point where she wondered if she was about to have a heart attack.
Somehow she managed to get the container to the wall without her pursuers catching up.
A few minutes later her luck changed. The men came storming into the alley, swinging their clubs and hollering. They turned over the container, sniffed the walls, looked everywhere to find her.
They didn't hear her steps as she raced across the roof, away from the alley, with a proud smirk playing on her lips and a vengeful look in her eyes.
"I've got you now, asshole," she murmured to herself as she happened upon the edge of the roof. But she didn't slow her pace. Instead she narrowed her eyes, calculated the distance to the neighboring roof, and leaped. She landed with a strained grunt but quickly got back on her feet, in the distance seeing Chris roof-jumping just like her, oblivious that she was on his trail.
"I've got you now."
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