~ Chapter Eighteen ~
"What is this?"
Liz squinted at the door squeezed between two large posters; one was for some kind of bar in Akra and the other, the one torn and dirty, had nothing save for three words sloppily painted in red: Join our cause.
The door wasn't in the best shape either. It blended against the gray wall so nicely that Liz wouldn't have noticed it if, a minute earlier, Chris hadn't stopped her, pointed to the door and grumbled, "Here."
Now they stood outside, both a little jittery and unusually silent. Chris seemed like he didn't want to go inside and Liz kept looking down the street, expecting the Daltons to come barrelling down it.
"Err, Chris, I think..."
"Quiet," he growled out, a tangle of frustration and uncertainty.
She tried. She really did. But she couldn't help herself as she ten seconds later murmured, "Is this the place, the one where they're keeping Red?"
"No. This isn't the Daltons' hideout -- you'll know when we get there."
"So what is this place?"
Chris turned away from the door and all of a sudden was glowering down at her. "We can not head into the Dalton base without some kind of notion of where they're keeping my brother. If we do that then we're definitely dead."
"I thought you said we didn't stand a chance anyway."
She caught his look and quickly turned back to the door.
"So what's in there?"
"In there," he followed her gaze, "is the most dangerous wolf in Akra. The eyes and ears of Bern. That's where we'll find out where my brother is being held. Going in will be a risk but I'm afraid we do not have a choice."
Liz watched as he reached for the handle but quickly held him back. "Wait! I have a giant rifle attached to me. Maybe not the best thing to show up in?"
He shook his head and released his shoulder from her hold. "You'll fit right in. And come the time, I hope you're ready to use that thing."
"You think I'll..."
He reached for the door once again, this time ignoring her completely, and pushed it open — it creaked loudly, no doubt alerting everyone nearby of their arrival. Inside was a dim staircase as narrow as the door, framed between two concrete walls. The only way was down. Down into what ever room produced a faint smell of vanilla and red lights.
Chris took a deep breath then headed in without looking back.
Liz came trudging after, not a fan of the idea of being out on the opposite side of the threshold alone. She got close, but he didn't like that and quickly snapped his teeth at her hand reaching for his shoulder.
After that she kept a few steps behind.
It took about a minute until Chris stopped. The red light was now swallowing his whole front, leaving stray rays to dance across Liz's wide eyes. She glanced over his shoulder. Before him was another doorframe, this one relying on only a few clinking beads and pearls hanging on strings to shield the adjoining room.
They could both hear the hushed voices and soft, feminine moans.
The vanilla stung her nose.
"Christ," Liz murmured. "Is this a strip club?"
"They don't bed eachother in a stripclub."
"You brought me to a brothel?"
"No." His chin cocking slightly to the left was all showing he was paying her any mind. "There's no profit involved... The wolves that are here are here completely on their own accord."
She pursed her lips, pulled on the zipper of her jacket a little.
"With that said," Chris continued, "I'd advise you to stay alert. The owner might indulge in the actions of pleasure but that wolf— that wolf is dangerous."
And with that he sweeped the beads aside and stepped into the room reeking of pheromones and sex. Behind him was Liz, looking awkward and out of place.
The room was small, yet housed more than a dozen people, all laying sprawled or entwined on cushions lining the walls. Some were smoking long pipes and the mist traveling from their mouths and nostrils hung around like a wet blanket.
Liz caught sight of a couple in her quest to find somewhere less naked to land her gaze. They were in the corner, a little ways from the others — Liz was caught off-guard.
"What're they doing?" she whispered even though she suspected she could scream and nobody would pay her any mind.
Chris followed her gaze and scoffed before turning back around, continuing through the room. "Licking — every wolf's weakness. You should remember that for later."
"No way."
But for some reason she did.
She entered around the time they'd made it across the room. Chris was by then becoming impatient whilst Liz felt like she was burning up but refused to take her jacket off.
And she was a sight to behold.
It was like she came out of nowhere, as beautiful as an angel but with a smirk telling Liz she definitely wasn't one.
"Hello, strangers," she spoke softly, quietly, each word slithering between Liz's ears and ringing for a while.
"Lotta," Chris said. His brisk voice broke through the spell the woman had put on Liz and she quickly took a few steps back, flushed.
Not that she was the one Lotta was eyeing.
"What a lovely surprise. How long has it been? A year?"
"Three," he made sure to correct her.
Lotta wasn't discouraged, though. With felinesque steps she neared at incredible speed. Underneath the thin dress she was wearing it was impossible not to note every curve, every muscle and bone.
She stopped before them, way too close, and took her time moving her long hair to rest on her left shoulder, revealing a porcelain-like surface on the right. "And you just couldn't stay away."
"I think I love you."
Lotta raised an eyebrow.
It wasn't Chris that had spoken.
Instead Liz was the one that stood entranced by Lotta's every move. Not even as she stepped away from him, grabbed her shoulders instead and took a long whiff of her neck could she move away.
"Oh, you are lovely," Lotta said in that same, silken voice that left Liz a little drowsy. "But maybe a little warm? How about you take that jacket off, sweetie."
"Liz, do not do that."
She seemed unsure, but didn't have a choice as Chris reached for her but Lotta was quick to tug her away from him, press her against herself. Her chin landed ontop her head and her arm snuck around her waist.
"Calm down, Chris, don't scare the poor thing." Her hand began traveling upward, and a slim finger hooked in Liz's zipper. "You smell like a strong wolf," she murmured. "But you're not, are you? You're small and you need someone to keep you safe... I can do that if you'd like."
Before her jacket was completely unzipped a decisive hand grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Lotta. She landed beside Chris and he was quick to step in front of her. "Back off."
Lotta rolled her eyes but softened when she caught Liz's gaze.
"You're here to engage in my services?" she inquired before pausing, sniffing, and then pursing her lips. "No, that's not it, you two don't like eachother very much."
"We're here for information. The Daltons have taken my brother, and we need to know where they're keeping him."
Lotta sighed theatrically. "That is so boring... But I do have what you need — you know the rules."
"I do."
"The rules?" Liz squeeked from behind Chris's shoulder.
"Oh you little thing, you don't know left from right. Are you sure you don't want to stay here? I just must have you."
"Lotta."
She snuck closer. "This is the law of Akra, little one: an eye for an eye. You crave information. Information is what I do. But to leave some I have to gain some. Something juicy..." She turned to Chris. "Like why you're traveling with a human in tow."
Liz's eyes widened, and through what felt like all the mist in the room gathered inside her head she realized that he couldn't tell her.
But her reflexes weren't fast enough.
"She's Red's mate."
"Alpha Red? The bloodthirsty one?" Her eyes immediately went back to the dazed Liz, this time greedy. "That can't be true."
"You know it is," he growled, annoyed. "Now tell us what we need to know."
"So impatient. But then again, you always were — all runts seem to be. So much bitterness... Oh well. Your brother is in the west tower, amongst traitors and outlaws."
"The cells," Chris murmured, mostly to himself.
"Right. You would know. You've been a Dalton yourself."
Liz blinked a few times and finally took her eyes off Lotta. "You've what?!"
Without much else, Chris grabbed Liz and left.
Lotta watched after them, hovered around Liz all the way until they'd made it to the staircase.
They shot out into the brisk air with lungs aching for a fresh breath. Chris quickly let go of her but she closed the distance just as fast.
"You're a Dalton?!"
He bared his teeth at being yelled at but nodded. "I was. I'm not anymore. End of story."
"It's not—" A disorienting flash of color caught Liz off-guard, made her almost lose her footing. Her right hand found the wall and her left one pressed against her forehead.
"It's the mist," Chris grumbled. "It's leaving your system. That's a good thing. Had I not pulled you out you probably would've stayed in there, mated until you starved."
"You said the people in there weren't captives."
"They're not — I didn't say you wouldn't enjoy every second of it."
Her vision slowly returned and meeting her was the sight of Chris removing two rolled up balls of cotton from within his nostrils.
"It was worth it, though. She holds information nobody else can get."
"Information... Oh my god. You shouldn't have done that!" she hissed and let go of the wall.
"What? Dragged you out? You were practically salivating."
"No, not that." Liz still felt a little flushed as she zipped her jacket back up. "You shouldn't have told her I'm Red's mate."
"So what? She would find out once you two had the official ceremony regardless."
"No, she wouldn't."
"Trust me, she would."
"No, Chris, she would not."
He gave her an odd look. "What are you... Oh. Oh, this is rich. This is just perfect." A cold laugh escaped him. "You haven't accepted him?"
"Let's just go."
"You are a walking contradiction!"
Despite not wanting to, Liz got pulled along. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Chris joined her side. The snow crunched underneath his boots and she could've sworn he was clamping down a little extra as he said, "You came all this way to save the life of my brother, but you will be the very thing which kills him. That's cruel, Liz. That's really cruel."
She decided not to talk to him about Red anymore and as the first snowflake landed in her hair she kicked a rock, imagined it as Chris's face.
"Man, I hate you werewolves."
Heyyo, another update. A loooong one. But I felt like there was a lot I wanted in this chapter.