Sheriff Bostock rang in person to inform the Alpha there was a crisis. Unfortunately, he spoke to Simon, who didn’t see fit to pass on the message until an hour later. He claimed it had slipped his mind.“Rae’s been taken hostage and you forgot?”“He didn’t mention any names, just said ‘Luna’.”“So Nell’s expendable, is she?”Liam decided it was not the time to be arguing with his twin. He mind linked Jack and soon they were on their way to the mall, in the heart of human territory.“Try not to worry, Alpha,” his Beta said.“I was away from the office for five minutes. Trust him to fuck up.”“Should you be discussing this with me?”“It’s not as if I didn’t pass him in the corridor. He was whistling, undaunted that he’d persuaded Aunt Deborah to answer the phone. I’m surprised he didn’t try and claim it was her who failed to inform us both.”“Alpha Liam, please don’t make me privy to this.”“Why? Are you going to broadcast my concerns during training? I didn’t think so. Sorry, Jack. I’
It wasn’t too hard to fool the sheriff’s deputy. She’d been at school with Dwayne Hudson and he wasn’t the brightest. Claiming she was bored, she asked him to let her out for a spell.“No can do, O-livia,” he said.He always pronounced her name like that and it never failed to irritate her.“Even lifers get a walk round the yard,” she wheedled.“In their chains,” he pointed out, looking smug.How long had it taken him to come up with that one?“So tie me up,” she chanced. “It’s not as if I’m going to try and escape or anything.”In fact, that was precisely what she had in mind. Doing time for years was not for the likes of her; she didn’t relish being prey.“Don’t got me no rope.”How on earth had he come by this job? And most men would have jumped at the chance to have a little fun with her. Not Dwayne. She’d known that from the outset.Josh was a different matter. She’d heard he was back in Oakley, though he hadn’t been to see her. That rankled. Even prisoners needed dentistry now a
Nell had already spotted the sheriff, crouching down behind a mannequin with a full skirt. His gun was still holstered and she guessed he didn’t want the situation to escalate.Her sister now turned those baby blues on her, though she seemed at a loss what to say, other than, “Stay out of this, El.”“You don’t really mean that.”She wondered if it was worth mentioning that this was the pack’s other Luna and decided against it. Things had ended badly with Simon, and Liv hated it when things didn’t go her way. Quite how she had managed to escape lock-up was a matter for another time.Generously, she supposed Sheriff Bostock couldn’t be everywhere at once. And now this.“I’m warning you.”Nell tried again. “Why don’t we talk about this like two rational people?”“Says the hybrid elf stroke werewolf who’s expecting an Alpha’s pups.”There were oohs and ahs at that. She even spotted a local journalist writing frantically in a spiral-bound notepad.“Don’t do this,” she pleaded. “Not in fron
Nell had never ever thought of Alpha Liam being vulnerable. It just wasn’t in his nature. Seeing him bleeding out in front of her was a total shock and left her stunned and unable to react when Josh, of all people, threatened her to “come quietly, or else”.Why had Robin led her to believe she would be safe? Hadn’t he known about her ex?None of this was the fault of the elves. She supposed she wouldn’t get to see her real mother now.Don’t think like that. We’re working on it.On what? She didn’t feel able to message her half-brother; it had taken all her strength just to summon the ‘cloak of invisibility’.The Beta was tending to Rae. It was Holly who shouted, pointing to the wounded Alpha and, secondly, to the pair of them. They were heading for the escalator. Surely he wasn’t going to take her up to the roof, like in some of those thriller movies she used to watch?No, of course not. Josh veered at the last second and began a mazy run through the mall. Did he expect to be fired up
Nell was dreaming that Josh was Sheriff Bostock’s new deputy and she was in the lock-up accused of being an elf. She woke in the passenger seat of a car which was being driven by her ex. Dimly, then, she remembered the cab ride to his hotel, their overnight stay and now this, a long haul trip to the Sunshine State. Josh hadn’t just hired the car, he’d paid cash for it, and she couldn’t help wondering if he’d gone on a crime spree before. “Drug must be wearing off,” he said, glancing sideways at her. “Please tell me you’re kidding?” She eased her aching bones into a more comfortable position, surprised to find a pillow on the seat. It must have slipped as she dozed. Josh wasn’t totally heartless then, just selfish and mostly mean. “Yeah, I lied. Those pups will earn me a packet, enough to fund our fresh start at any rate.” Nell supposed that was something. He didn’t want to hurt her offspring. “It won’t work,” she told him. “Liv stabbed the Alpha. Simon won’t pay, other than to h
It had worked, her plan had actually worked. The problem was Nell was now stuck on her own without a vehicle and vulnerable to any stranger who saw her as prey. The new height she had miraculously attained helped some, though she continued to think of herself as small.Waiting it out in a stall in the rest room, she heard Josh’s yells and the shit storm he was creating for what seemed an endless time. She thought it a pity she didn’t know how to control her reappearances and was forced to stay put in case folks witnessed such a thing and – best case scenario – put her in a freak show.Though it might have been preferable to stay unseen, if she wanted to hitch a lift or otherwise ask for help she needed to be visible.Straining her ears for the distinctive sound of the engine in his new car, she was relieved to hear him drive away. She wanted to be gone after that, but nothing seemed to be happening other than that a girl in dungarees came in to wash her face and hands. Nell saw that m
Nell thought that Alpha Liam looked well, despite her comment to him in response to what she saw as his unnecessary criticism. Perhaps he hadn’t meant it like that. She sat in back, grateful for her gloves. It was hard to get warm after leaving sunny climes.“I’m sorry I didn’t see it coming,” she said, after a few miles.The silence was oppressive, just like in the bad old days.When she raised her head from her lap she saw that Alpha Liam had turned to stare at her.“I’m not blaming you, Nell,” he said.“That’s a first.”She covered her mouth with her mitten, realising she’d spoken her thought aloud and failed to use his title.Before she could make amends, he said, “None of this is your fault.”Nell sighed. “I wish I could believe you truly meant that, Alpha.”“What’s gotten into you? Why so down?”She glanced at Jack, well aware he could hear everything.“Josh was planning to deliver my pups early by Caesarean. How do you think I feel?”The only answer was a growl. Surprisingly, i
It would have been a long journey to the colony had Robin not agreed to transport them.“No unbelievers,” he said, smiling from ear to ear.Jack held up his hands.“Maybe I should just stay here with the vehicle,” he said.“Yeah,” Alpha Liam said. “You do that.”The retreat could have been anywhere. All Nell knew was that it was warm and felt surreal. Elves came and went through invisible portals, most of them looking solemn.“I shouldn’t have smiled.”“Why not?”“You’ll see,” Robin said.Nell gripped Alpha Liam’s hand tightly and reached out to her half-brother. They made an unlikely trio joined together like that as they waited for someone to come to the door.A panel slid back, possibly the paranormal equivalent of a spyhole, and she saw what looked like coloured smoke behind the wrinkled being who uttered just the one word, “Yes?”It was a relief not to have to express her ignorance of elvish. Perhaps something in the atmosphere was acting as a magical translator.“Wynreth,” Robin