Savage Wings: Book Three of The Whitechapel Chronicles

Chapter 25

The wolf padded softly, stealthily through the woods.

Every step was a testament to its lithe, agile form, every  tilt of its head gathered the smallest of sounds into its waiting ears; every sniff of the air detected even the faintest of scents. It was a creature of instinct and sensory power and never more at home than when it felt the sick squelch of mud under its feet and the thick overcoat of forest enshrouding it. Here, it was King and it disturbed me to see the usually bumbling, clumsy Philippe Charmonde, still in human form, but seemingly more at ease in these surroundings than he was in the city, when I had always thought him to be a real city boy.

Philippe was that guy that knew all the short-cuts through the urban sprawl of London town. He'd veer off down alleys and roads you never knew existed. He'd take a detour on a whim, just so he could explore more uninvestigated nooks and crannies. He'd always seemed so in tune with the hum of city life, fitting in seamlessly no matter where his wandering feet took him. Looking at him now, albeit from a distance of six feet apart, I wondered how much of the Philippe had been nothing but a lie. His face, his form was a lie of course, but what about the rest of him? What about all of the idiosyncrasies that had made him Philippe? How much of it had been forced, like some kind of Clark Kent smokescreen set up to fool everyone into thinking he was something that he really wasn't? Or maybe he'd forced himself to love the city, as a kick-back at being exiled by his clan, a mighty middle finger raised to Brandon for rebuking him when he dared to seek a life more human.

Only the sweat on his brow, the way his hands fisted into tight balls and sound of his rasping breath, which he exhaled in short anxious gasps, told me that whilst he was able to move through the woods as if he belonged here, he didn't actually want to be here, maybe even less than I did. I had a reason to be here, an unwavering purpose for leaving the relative comfort of the city streets and entering their territory. Philippe, on the other hand, was here for a person who didn't even exist anymore. He was here for the memory of a friendship that once was. For a life that none of us could ever return to. And what's more, he was risking everything to do it.

As we walked, I tried to bury that thought deep down in the cold earth beneath my feet and focus on Harper. I wasn't about to let anything or anyone stop me from finding him now; not my confused sense of compassion for my old friend, nor the fact that I knew Fenton was tracking us through the forest, despite my initial stubborn refusal to let him come along.

"You do realise there's absolutely no point in pretending he didn't agree to help you?" Fenton had said, as I'd joined him back at the car, feeling a mixture of joy and dread after hearing Philippe's response to my plea.

Silently cursing his intuitiveness, I'd turned to him, hoping with everything I had that he would, for once, just listen to me but the look in his eyes already told me this was yet another battle I wouldn't win.

"He told me I had to meet him on my own."

Fenton had rolled his eyes. "Well, of course he said that. But you're not going to because that would make you stupid, and you're not stupid, right?" The mocking tone in his voice made me want to punch him square in the smug mouth.

"When are you going to stop acting like a bad smell, always hanging around when you're not wanted?"

He'd grinned. "I'm glad I make your day stink. I practically live to make you wrinkle up your nose like that. You look very pig-like when you do it. It's quite comical."

"God, you're so bloody childish."

"And you're still labouring under the illusion that I'm about to let you rush headlong into some foolish act that's going to get you killed." He'd sighed then, turning on the ignition and curling his fingers around the steering wheel. "You don't get it, do you? You might think I'm being irritating by sticking to you like glue, and trust me, I'd rather be anywhere than by your side, but I was given a job to do and that job means keeping you safe at all times, whether you like it not."