Devious Claws

Chapter Twenty

Luke left before I did. He wanted to take advantage of the basement now that everybody was out. I was still drinking my tea and enjoying the view of the women and children laughing. It was so bizarre, seeing wolves and humans interact in such a way, but the warmth of it all, seeing the children roll in the frozen grass and the mothers laughing, made some of the awful things I'd seen during the last few days melt away.

My mind went to my own mother. I doubted she'd even realized I was gone. What day was it anyway? Maybe Christmas had already passed. The thought didn't hit me as hard as I thought it would have.

When the tea was gone I felt the cold creep in underneath my shirt and decided it was time for me to rest as well.

I left the cup at the table upon realizing there was no sink and exited the kitchen. The house was quiet. I walked into one of the hallways, trying to remember how I'd went this morning. Once again I was struck by how surprisingly intricate the layout of the building was.

I walked past a few doors, turned right and walked past a few more.

The floorboards creaked underneath my soles. I walked past yet another room but paused. Voices came from inside, sneaking through the gap between the threshold and the door. They were deep, purposeful, and I quickly identified one as Eros. It was hard to hear what he was discussing and curiosity got the best of me. I placed my ear against the wood.

"We leave in two days. There is no more time to waste, and with each passing second there is a bigger threat to your pack."

Two days. The words hit me like a fist and I lost my breath at the prospect of leaving the safety of the house so soon. I pressed closer to the door, frustrated at how the voices had grown quiet. It seemed the people had suddenly jumped out the window, leaving the room dead silent.

The door flew open so quickly I didn't have time to lean back on my heels.

I fell forward. The floor neared awfully quick. A small scream had time to pass my lips but that was all I could manage in terms of a reaction. I closed my eyes. A hand enveloped my upper arm, pulling me to my feet. The room became upright once again, an office, I could now see. Yellow eyes topped by furrowed brows glared disapprovingly. Eros held onto me, looking from my black eye to the gauze on my knuckles.

Only I saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed harshly.

"Interesting." Alpha Alheera stood by his desk, conspiratory eyes targeting me. "Your female was listening."

"Indeed," Eros responded. "This meeting is done anyway. I'll deal with her."

"Do so. We can't afford traitors in these times."

"Traitor?" I echoed, feeling panic grip at my throat. "No, I was just curious--"

"I'll handle this, Alheera. Don't stress."

Eros guided me out with ease, my feet grazing across the floorboards. It wasn't far to our room and he made sure to carry me in this fashion the entirety of the walk, not saying a word.

We entered the room.

The door slammed behind us.

Eros quickly let go of my arm, swiftly squatting in front of me. His fingers hovered above my bruised face, looking as if he was the one beaten black and blue.

"Shit, Cindy, are you okay?"

"Yeah," I murmured but couldn't avoid my voice breaking a little. The fear of being punished subsided, leaving way for knee-wobbling relief. "Yeah, I'm okay."