The Mating (The original Law of the Lycans story)

Chapter 17

Elise called John several times before she finally got a response. Apparently he'd been in the theatre and his cell phone was set on vibrate, so he hadn't noticed it right away. Quickly, she explained the situation and he said he'd be at Marla's as soon as possible.

Twisting her fingers, Elise listened to the sounds of the argument going on at Marla's apartment. There'd been no more screams, just yelling and angry voices, but she couldn't make out what was being said except once she was sure she'd heard Kane's name. At that her stomach had clenched in fear. What if Ryne was trying to lure Kane over to Marla's so he could attack him? After tense moments, a door slammed and glass broke, then all was silent. Tentatively, she called into the receiver. "Marla? Marla? Can you hear me? It's Elise. Kane's on his way. Marla?"

There was a scuttling sound and then Marla spoke, sniffling and obviously crying. "Elise? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me. Marla, are you all right? What happened?"

"It...it was Ryne. He broke in and...and... He was going crazy, yelling at me and hitting me." Marla's voice cracked and she started to sob.

"Marla, shh, it's okay. John and Kane should be there any minute." Elise felt her own eyes filling with tears at the sound of the other woman's grief. While Marla wasn't her favourite person, she didn't deserve to be treated that way. Eventually, Elise heard Marla's doorbell ring and then John's voice was on the phone.

"Elise? I'm here. Marla's pretty upset and it looks like Ryne slapped her, but I think she'll be okay. I'm staying with her until Kane arrives, then I'll go look around to see if Ryne left a trail. If you don't mind, I think we'll be bringing Marla back with us. She's in no state to be left by herself."

"Of course! She can't stay there. I'll make sure the guest room is ready."

"Good, we'll see you in a while."

"Okay— and John?"

"Yes?"

"Make sure Kane doesn't do something crazy like going after Ryne on his own tonight. He was really upset when he left here and—"

"Don't worry, Elise. I'll keep our Alpha in line."

"Thanks." Elise hung up the phone and leaned against wall, slowly sinking to the floor. She hadn't realized how tense she'd been holding herself until now. Her arms and legs felt rubbery and she was a bit light-headed. Thank heavens Ryne had left before Kane arrived. While she knew Kane could take care of himself—he'd defeated the other man before, hadn't he?—she didn't want the two meeting. What if Ryne had a gun or a knife? Kane could be seriously hurt, and the very idea of that happening caused an ache in the centre of her chest. Forcing her mind away from that possibility, she focused her thoughts on Marla. The poor thing; Ryne had been her lover. How could he turn on her like that? What real or imagined action on Marla's part had sparked the man's fury? There could be no doubt about it now; he was definitely unstable and extremely dangerous.

Elise shook her head. Just last night, Kane had been telling everyone that there was no hard evidence against Ryne; that he might not be guilty of shooting at Thomas, but now... Well, there was no doubt in Elise's mind about the man, and she certainly hoped she'd never come face-to-face with him. Frowning, she realized that she had no idea what Ryne even looked like. Possibly there was a picture of him somewhere; she'd have to ask Helen tomorrow.

Gathering her energy, Elise stood and went upstairs to prepare a room for Marla.

~~~

It was late by the time they got back to the house. Marla's face was bruised on one side where Ryne had hit her and her wrist sported a bracelet of bruises from being grabbed. Elise got ice and salve to apply to the injuries and then helped Marla into a nightgown. The woman shook with fear and kept bursting into tears. Holding her hand, Elise offered what little comfort she could, finally getting her to take a mild sedative so that she could rest.