Charlotte After Dark

Chapter 52: The Bell Brothers Five

Andrew acted like nothing had just happened between us, but my mind was racing. The streets began to become crowded with people as we got closer and closer to the center of Lycaon's Corner.

"Maybe it's a good thing they picked tonight, I'll be easier to get lost in the crowd," Andrew told me, pushing through the crowd with me in tow.

I didn't utter a response. My mind was still trying to comprehend the events of the evening thus far. Joaquin had been possibly whisked away somewhere, or worse he was already dead, with all contact between us severed. Sergei was trying to get Luca to do something, and was intending on using me for the bait. Not to mention, Gwendolen and a werewolf that concerned even Andrew were involved. The crowd around us grew thicker, and I could hear the muffled sound of music up in front of us. Bodies pushed together as we all tried to make it to the center of Lycaon's Corner, and I was surrounded by what felt like a thousand heartbeats. In the commotion of bodies, our hands became detached.

"Andrew," I turned around, but he was gone.

I felt my stomach flutter. I was alone in a huge crowd, probably still being pursued, and I had lost Andrew. I continued to push through the crowd, hoping that it thinned out closer to the center. The music began to become louder and louder.

A large wolf's head flashed before me, surprising me as it made its way through the crowd. Then another. Flashes of lights started up in the crowd as small fireworks began to shoot up into the sky, illuminating the night. For a moment, I found myself in awe. This was the closest I had ever gotten to sunlight in a long time. The fireworks boomed loudly and I found myself wondering if the Mundanes outside of Lycaon's Corner even heard them. My mind moved back to Andrew as I scanned the crowd, but I couldn't even find his characteristic baseball cap.

"Andrew!" I called out, but the noise of the fireworks, the crowd, and the growing sound of music drowned me out without much trouble.

People in front of me began dancing to the sound of music, an odd melody I had never heard before. Someone grabbed me around the wrist and pulled me into the throng of dancers. A tall, brown-haired man not much older than me had pulled me against him amidst the dancers. As quickly as I had been grabbed, I was thrown back into the crowd in confusion. I stretched my hands out through the crowd, trying to push my way through the dancers as I felt another warm hand grasp mine.

Andrew.

I breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled me towards him.

"Sorry," was all he said as he maintained a tight grip on my hand, interlacing our fingers.

"Where are we going?" I asked as he pulled me along through the crowd, his grasp much tighter this time around.

"I need to find one of my brothers." His response was curt as he kept his eyes trained ahead of him. He seemed to have spotted someone familiar as he jerked me to the left.

"Emma!" Andrew shouted.

Andrew was shouting at a petite brunette who stood amongst a group of other werewolves, laughing at some joke with a drink in her hand. She didn't notice him at first until he repeated her name. She looked over and her smile faded a little as she looked at me with striking gray eyes. He nodded to the other werewolves around them.

"See you later, Emma," one of them said as the group moved away from her and disappeared into the crowd around us. Another firework went off, illuminating the sky above us.

"Is she a vampire?" Emma asked, her eyes on our hands. There was a defensiveness in her voice as she spoke.

"Yes," Andrew replied in annoyance as he released his hand from mine.