(How Keelan is bound to the chair, minus the blindfold ---->)
I am startled to see the shocking striking resemblance between the King and Vincent. It’s no wonder they are brothers.They look so alike Vincent grinned my way as he looked from Riles to me. “So this is your mate huh Riley?” For some reason Vincent’s voice gave me cold shivers instead of the soothing calm I feel when the King spoke. Whereas the King feels soothing and peaceful, Vincent feels vile and evil.
[What do we do Riles?] I bite my lips as I try to come up with some kind of plan to get Keelan freed and not die in the process. [I don’t know yet, I told others that we found Keelan and they are on their way here. We just need to stall Vincent long enough for them to get here, and pray to God nothing goes wrong.]
“You do know I heard your whole talk with Dillan right?” Vincent sounded uninterested, as if what we were doing didn’t matter. He grinned evilly “he’s one of mine.” [So he is going to double cross us!] By the look on Vincent’s face I know he saw my anger. [Or he’s going to double cross Vincent. I don’t think he will let any of us die.] “So what happens now Vincent? Are you going to kill us all? Is that your master plan?” The both of us shifted a little to the side, getting a better look at the unconscious and bound Keelan. [Damn! They really did a number on him.] Keelan was curled up onto his right side, his hands were bound behind his back with cuffs connected by a chain to the chair. The same was done to his ankles. His clothes looked worse for wear; his jeans were smeared with blood and what looked like dried mud, his t-shirt was covered in blood and cuts, and what I could see from his face was black and blue. [I don’t think he would be going anywhere anytime soon as long as he is chained to the chair. We need to get those chains off.]
Then a sound of a scrimmaging reached our ears, dull thuds of flesh hitting flesh, before a gunshot rang out. [What the hell?] For the first time since we arrived I saw a spark of fear flash through his eyes. Good. He should be scared. Don’t get too cocky now my wolf chided quietly, we still need to free Keelan first. I jolted as Vincent merely raised an eyebrow as the double doors on the left side of the room opened; Dillan and a heavy panting Fredrick burst into the room. “Well, well, the newly appointed Head Hunter of the Pack and the feared Pack executioner.” Dillan snarled, “Don’t do this Vince. There is no need for this. If you talk to him I am sure he would see reason.” Vincent got up out of his seat with a crazed look in his eye “See reason?! See reason? There is no way he would see reason! He would kill me first!” I shifted quietly further to the raised seat now Vincent is occupied by Dillan.
[Archie! What the hell are you doing? Get back here!] I ignore Riles and crept closer [I am using this opportunity to free Keelan from his bounds. Make sure they keep him talking.] “I don’t think so Archie.” I looked up to see Vincent cocking and pointing a loaded gun in my direction. Before I could blink he fired the gun, not even looking at me. “FUCK!” I hissed through clenched teeth as a bullet pierced through my thigh, I feel a little dizzy as warm blood starts seeping out of the wound. “ARCHIE!!” I hear Riles roar as he rushes to my side as my knees give out. He looks frantic at me, his eyes searching mine wildly. I whimper as he puts steady pressure on my wounded leg. “You’re going to be okay Archie. You are going to be fine.”
“No he’s not going to be fine Riley. I shot him with a silver bullet dipped in wolfs bane, it will hurt like a mother.” Vincent says while smiling arrogantly. [Well there is one small good side to this.] I look in disbelief at Riles [How is there a plus side to being shot?!] “Keep steady pressure on the wound” Riles says as he gently removes his hands and start tugging on his belt. Doing as told [There is an exit wound, meaning most of the poisoned blood will bleed out before it can do any real damage.] He quietly told me as he gently tugged the belt under my thigh before pulling it tight.
The door we came through bangs open and several armed police officers enter the room, all gun drawn, pointing at Vincent. “Drop the gun! Put your hands in the air!” One of the front officers bark as they spread out through the room, taking stock of the situation. “We need two ambulances we have one gunshot victim, one bruised and beaten hostage.” A officer near us spoke in to his radio, putting away his gun and walk around me and the chair to Keelan. A groan was heard from Keelan and I let out a sigh of relief. “Keelan? Keelan can you hear me?” I inch closer to him but I am stopped by Riles hand, “What’s wrong Riles?” Riles glares at Keelan who finally raises his head and I see why. As I look at Keelan a pair of focused predatory eyes staring back at me. Because of my blood, they kick-started his instincts. “Officer! Officer back off now!” The woman looks startled by my out burs, hesitating. “Please! I beg you don’t go near him. He isn’t there right now.” She looks at me in confusion. “He’s about to shift, please step away!” I don’t look away from Keelan, if I do it might end her life. Then she notices my clothes and the Pack symbol on all of our clothing.
Being the smart woman that she is, she starts stepping back. My shoulders slump in relief as she and several other officers clear away from Keelan, who is now struggling immensely with his bonds. Letting out inhuman sounds. “What the hell did you do to him Vincent?” Dillan asks keeping a close eye on Fred and Keelan. Vincent just grins “A little something to help things along.” Dillan pales as he gapes at Vincent “Please don’t tell me you drugged him?!” Vincent smug grin was his answer.
“I am going to shoot his cuffs so he can get out okay?” The female officer says as she cocks her gun and aims. I take a deep breath “Okay but once that is done you don’t move okay? Promise me no matter what you won’t move.” I stress the word, for I am sure Keelan will jump the first thing that moves. She nods her head and pulls the trigger, shooting the chains binding his ankles, I wince at the loud bang. “I can’t shoot his arms, I might kill him.” She looks torn about what to do. I don't blame her, this is not something you learn at the academy.
Meanwhile the other officers try and persuade Vincent to drop the gun. I hear them distantly shout on the background, I am more focused on what kind of move Keelan is going to make next. I get sick to my stomach as I see Keelan lift his bound arms straight up, snapping his shoulder blades, dropping them in front of him. The officer cocks her gun again and shoots the chain leading to the chair, and after reloading she shoots the chain between the cuffs. Everything is eerily silent, like the calm before the storm.
Looking back on it, it might have been smarter to keep Keelan bound. If we did, what happened next might have been avoided. Lives could have been saved and a lot less bloodshed.
I watched as if in slow-motion as Keelan rose up from his position on the floor with an inhuman roar, bones cracking as he launched himself at the female officer. Dillan acted faster than the eye could see as a dark blur jumped on the now fully shifted Keelan, Vincent cackled like a manic the whole time. The woman screamed and the officers opened fire on the rolling, snarling animals. “Stop! Stop! You have to stop! She’s fine!” In desperation I crawled to the woman as she was breathing shallowly with blood gushing out of several wounds. “This is what you think is fine?” A fellow officer asked me. “Well it’s better than having her dead. She would have been if it wasn’t for Dillan. You need to get her out of here, her blood is driving Keelan insane!” Riles moved past the officer and hoisted the wounded woman under her armpits and started dragging her away to the door. Keelan let out a yowl of anger as he spotted Riles dragging her away.
The situation was bad, the cops were either shooting or fighting with Vincent. As Keelan managed to shake Dillan off and lunged for the unprotected and shaking officer. As a last ditch effort Riles shifted and jumped on Keelan, who got slammed to the ground as he was forced to jump from a weird angle. I heard bones crack as he touched floor and lay there motionless. I heard a high pitched sound only to realise I was the one where it originated from. [NO! NO! RILES!] Keelan growled threatening at me as I scrambled my way over, I snarled back in response not caring for my own safety, my life was nothing without Riles in it.
“Riles? Riles?! Come on baby wake up! You gotta wake up!” I shook the limp panther form. “NO,no,no. Riles don’t leave me! You said you were never going to leave me!” I was sobbing in his soft dark fur. “Come back, my life is useless without you.” Dillan came close, limping and bleeding from several gashes and sniffed at Riles. Nudged him with his head, but Riles didn’t move. My hands grabbed his fur tight as I pressed my face into his fur, sure that Riles was dead. “He.. he saved me.” The astonished voice of the police officer sounded, I glare up at him through the tears “Of course he did! We might be shifters but that doesn’t mean we enjoy it when others get hurt or killed.” I sniffle as I look sadly back at Riles.
Turning my head to the monster that now was Keelan I glare heatedly at him “You killed him! YOU MONSTER!” And a monster he was, he was at least seven and half feet tall, grey-ish fur that covered his lean feline frame. He was a nightmare to look at as he challenging started back at me. “We need to get him and Dillan to the Pack doctor.” Fred said quietly as he supported most of Dillan’s weight. Keelan’s yellow eyes went from Riles to me and back. I gasped in shock as he cocked his head to the side and spoke to me [Pack?] I looked at Dillan who looked just as taken a back as I was [Yes. We Pack] I looked at Dillan and Fred who was behind Dillan. He sounded childish. He stalked over and pawed at Riles [Again!] He sounded excited, like a young child that wanted to play.
We hear another scrimmaging outside the room, this time familiar voices and sounds were carried up the stairway. Keelan looked to the doorway with another focused look, his tail swishing behind him. My eyes widened as the scent of the first person drifts up my nose. No way! Why would he be here? “Archon!” My dad pushes his way through the officers, “Oh my GOD! Who is he?” We all knew who he was talking about, “That’s Keelan Sterling.” Said the recently shifted back Dillan wheezing for breath.