Episode 4
1136 Words
I'd been in two car accidents in my life. None like this. The airbags deploy, matting my hair with white dust. My hands are still trapped behind my back, so all I can do is stare ahead uselessly as I'm flung forward. I think of Jack in the trunk of the car, his eyes adjusting to that forever-dark. I cry again, and it hurts. We flip two times before the car banks in the grass.
Fenris snaps the seatbelt off my lap, his warm hands on my throat, feeling for my pulse. "Dumb overgrown dogs."
My eyes cut weakly toward the back of the car. My head hurts to much for me to want to move it.
"It's okay. She's okay. She's still breathing. Stay in the car. I'll deal with the doggies."
He wrenches the door open on the driver's side, leaving me staring over the passenger's seat. We're in rich green grass. Tall mountains shrouded in fog prick a new blue sky. I struggle weakly against my restraints. My chest aches. My eyes burn in their sockets. I'm trapped staring out over the driver's seat, utterly f****d.
Five wolves, larger than any I've ever seen, circle the car. Fenris saunters toward them, no limp, no sign of injury, nothing. The only bruise I can see is the one on his face that I'm sure Faith gave him. From the back, Faith groans again softly.
The door is still open, the car beeping weakly.
Fenris kneels in the grass, his hand on his heart. From the back, I see his messy braid as it swings. "I just want to reach the border. Alpha Ash, I come with an important diplomatic message."
I blink several times. I can't believe what I'm seeing, but it doesn't even matter anymore. Elves, vampires, and now werewolves? What difference does it even make? Perhaps I should've given up trying to make sense of it the moment those red-eyed men came into the café.
What I see is this: the white wolf, his golden eyes focused on the driver's window. It looks like he's staring through me, even though he's standing several feet away. And then his body changes. The white fur fades into dark tan skin, the limbs stretch into a man's. The face flattens, but the eyes stay the same: piercing gold. His hair, too, is messy but white as the fur he just had.
What's standing before me is a man. A tall, hunky, naked man.
My eyes jump from his, well, groin, up to the eyes that are locked on mine. He doesn't even glance at a kneeling Fenris.
"We don't do that here." He waves his hand brusquely. The wolves are still growling; I can hear it through the open door and my skin prickles. "Stand up."
He doesn't. "In my culture, this is how we show reverence."
The wolf-man(?) laughs. "Reverence? Is it reverent to drive that tacky car of yours through the portal under the cover of darkness and desecrate my lands?"
"It was important. I was sent on a mission by my council and Alpha--"
"Don't mention that name around me! You reek of vampires and humans."
"The vampires broke the treaty first." Fenris's voice becomes urgent. "They killed a Morrisette. They're trying to kill the--what do you call it--the Destined Luna?'
The Alpha narrows his eyes at me and stalks toward the car. I feel myself shrink back against the seat. I should be so shocked that I shouldn't have pride, but I'm tired; I'm so tired of being inspected by these fabulous creatures. I'm not meat. Just because I'm not one of them doesn't mean they can treat me like this. He sniffs the air.
"The one in the front, the one in the back, or the body in the trunk?"
Another sob bursts from my chest. The man fixes me with a look of disgust, brushing a strand of snow-white hair out of his eye.
"The one in the front, Alpha," Fenris says.
He leans forward, his nose less than inch from my forehead, so close I think he might kiss me. I go stiff. His lip curls back in disgust.
"Definitely human."
"I don't get it!" Fenris's voice rises. "That's what the vampires said too."
"Hey!" My throat hurts from screaming, and the word comes out weak. "Get away from me."
The gold eyes become slits. I see the muscles in his jaw strain. His wide hand catches my chin, and I feel so weak I can barely muster the strength to pull my head out of his hand. I hear Fenris protest in the background. I get the feeling that this Alpha could crush me, just from seeing the tendons on his hands tense. The romance books I've read only add to my nerves,
He laughs, a mirthful glimmer in his eyes. "What are you going to do with these humans?"
I can hear the shrug in Fenris's voice. "Transfer students?"
Another laugh. The man's hand tightens around my chin. His hair looks so white and so soft, and I don't dare look into his eyes. I've learned my lesson.
Fenris continues. "If not, then exhibits. Or pets. Or something. Now please, I need to get the Morisette to the Headmaster or to my council. The body is growing cold and the window to use magic is closing."
There's another moment of silence as the Alpha holding my chin. "I don't want you weirdos crossing into this world again. It's going to take a long time to clean up this mess as is. But...I want to hear about what happens to these humans." His mouth quirks up--is that a smirk? "Carry on." He drops my head and it thunks against my chest before I can catch myself.
"What about the car?" Fenris asks.
The wolves howl. A chill creeps up my spine--I get the feeling they're laughing at us.
"Use a potion." The Alpha waves his hand.
Fenris crosses his arms. "Magic is a rare resource. I've used it already throughout this mission and I'd rather not use it on an entirely preventable crash."
The howling picks up. The Alpha smiles, his eyes twinkling in a way that doesn't look mean. But the words are harsh.
"The body is getting cold. And I'm not usually this nice."
"Very well," Fenris agrees, and the coldness in his voice makes me shudder.
I'm still staring at the naked man and the wolves that bark and bow around him as Fenris enters from the driver's side. He produces a short knife. I squirm against the window, fear clogging my mouth for the first time tonight. In a swift motion, he pushes my shoulders forward and slashes my hands free.
"Oh, to be human. Now come on, help me push this car."
- Writer
