Authors: Lexi Lewis
Fuck. This was not going according to plan. The two of them were locked in some kind of staring match for the moment, and Karic’s mind raced as he tried to think past the animalistic urge to defend himself. She had a gun, and he didn’t want to hurt her. There were very few ways this would come out in his favor. Especially considering the fact that she looked like she wouldn’t hesitate to shoot him if he breathed the wrong way.
Fighting her wouldn’t lead to anything productive, but maybe… Karic took a gamble. He lowered his head in a sign of surrender, sitting back on his haunches to make it clear that he had no plans to attack her. If she brought him inside then there would be a much better chance for his plan to still work.
Karic peeked up at her and saw that she was hesitating, clearly trying to decide the best course of action.
Come on,
he urged silently.
You don’t want to shoot me. You want to take me to Paul. He has to decide what to do with me.
“It’s your lucky day, dog,” she said with a sharp grin. “Or unlucky, depending on how you look at it, I guess. Either way, it means you’re not gonna die out here. Instead, I’m going to take you in to see our leader. He can decide what to do with you from there. I’m just security.”
Perfect.
She motioned him to his feet with the gun, keeping it trained on him as she backed up a bit. “Don’t even think about running away or trying anything funny, either. I can take you out before you make it to the trees. Now let’s go.”
Karic didn’t doubt that was true. If the things that he’d heard from Camilla and the rumors were true, then there were several members of this pride who were deadly and could harm him before he managed to do anything. Since dying was definitely not a part of his plan, he decided to play it safe and follow her.
They didn’t go far, just around a corner and then down for a few feet until they reached another side door. There were more cars parked on this side of the house, and a few humans milling about, which didn’t make a whole lot of sense to him. Why would humans be so close…?
Before he really had time to puzzle through it, he was being led inside.
The inside of the manor was actually quite beautiful. All of the outdated furnishings and what not had been replaced with newer looking things, but it still had an overall elegant feel to it. The ceilings were high and the floors looked like marble of some sort, and his claws clicked as he walked along. Everything was done in pale golds and dark woods, and there were people walking around as they passed, shooting curious and somewhat fearful looks at him.
It was probably a first to have a wolf in a den of cats, and Karic laughed mentally at the way they were reacting. He kept his guard up, though. It was impossible to tell how many of them were in the house, but he knew he was more than outnumbered. He wasn’t going to attack unless he had to, and even then, he didn’t really want to hurt anyone.
Well. That was what he thought, anyway. At least until he was led into a large, circular room. It was done in the same colors as everything else he had seen, and there were plush couches and chairs along the sides of the room, a carpet running up the middle that led to a high backed chair that resembled a throne. And of course, on the ‘throne’ was Paul. But that wasn’t what riled him up. At his feet, curled up on a cushion was Camilla. She was still wearing the robe, and her eyes were closed, though as soon as they got closer, her eyes shot open and she stared at him. Anger burned through him at the sight of her at Paul’s feet like she was some kind of prize pet to be displayed, and he had to hold himself in check. This was
not
the place to lose his cool.
Camilla had never seen him as a wolf before, but from the look on her face, she had already worked out that it was him. Something like horror flared in those amber eyes, and Paul looked down at her curiously, most likely at the change in her scent, and then up at the woman who was leading him along the carpet to stand in front of the chair.
“Danielle, what is that?” he asked, and his voice was just as commanding as his presence. It was obviously something he had worked on for a while, and every person in the room was paying attention.
“Something I found sneaking around the house,” Danielle replied. “Figured I’d let you decide what to do with him.”
Karic glanced at Paul and then looked back at Camilla who was twisting her hands together nervously. She dropped her eyes, clearly trying not to make eye contact with him, but it seemed that Paul had already figured something out.
“Do you know this mongrel, my pet?” he asked her, arching an eyebrow.
“I…” Camilla was obviously fighting to keep her composure. “What makes you think that?”
Paul sighed and leaned down, gripping her face between his fingers and turning her head to make her look at him. “It won’t do for you to lie to me, little one. I expect an honest answer.”
One of the men in the room frowned and stepped up closer, and Karic recognized him as one of the two who had come to take Camilla away the first time. Bastard. “Wasn’t there a dog with her at the station?” he asked, looking to a lion who Karic could only assume was the other one.
The lion nodded its head, and Paul frowned. Camilla gave a soft cry, and Karic looked back to see that Paul’s fingers were digging into her chin. “So you went and found yourself a pet did you?” he asked, and there was nothing about his deadly calm voice that didn’t put Karic on edge. “What did I tell you about mingling with others, my dear? I am the only one who knows how to look after you properly.”
A growl echoed around the room, and it took Karic a few seconds to realize that it had come from him. His hackles were up and his lips were pulled back, teeth bared in a snarl.
No one
spoke to Camilla that way. No one treated her like she was just some common pet. Not in front of him, and not ever. She was one of the brightest, kindest, best people that Karic had ever had the pleasure of meeting, and even if it had only been less than a week, there was a part of him that was always going to be drawn to her. He knew that now. And it was that same part that seemed to be reacting now, pushing past his human consciousness and making him more feral.
Paul laughed, but looked uneasy, and Karic remembered the humans outside and the fact that Paul sometimes made deals with humans and other shifters, using Camilla as a tool for his advantage. Clearly he didn’t want there to be a scene here right now, not with them outside. Well, too damned bad. He should have thought about that before he tried to treat someone Karic cared about like she was something to be used.
Another growl ripped out of him, and a few of the lion shifters actually were starting to look alarmed. Clearly no one fought back around here, but it was time for that to change. Paul looked bored, but there was something wide about his eyes that gave Karic a smug sense of satisfaction.
“Danielle, shoot him. It will be a mess to clean up, but better that than having a rabid dog acting like he can threaten us,” the leader said, making a lazy motion with his hand.
“No!” Camilla had wrenched herself free from Paul’s grip and was on her feet. “Don’t you dare. Danielle,
please!
”
Clearly there was some kind of bond between the two women because Danielle hesitated just long enough for Camilla to move and put herself in front of Karic. “No. You can’t shoot him. Just let him go. You have what you want, Paul. I’m here; I’m not going anywhere. Just let him go.”
“You try my patience, Camilla. There have to be consequences. Perhaps your punishment for running away in the first place should be having to watch your precious puppy die in a pool of his own blood in front of you. Does that sound fair?”
“How is that
fair!?
” Camilla demanded. “For my whole life, I’ve done nothing but what you asked of me. I’ve never complained or refused up until now. I’ve never asked you for
anything.
”
“And I gave you a roof over your head and a place to call home,” Paul countered. “Food to eat, clothes to wear. Were it not for me, then you would have been left to die in the streets when your parents abandoned you. And this is the thanks I get for my kindness? Perhaps this is my fault. I have spoiled you for far too long.”
Camilla’s hands clenched into fists, and Karic could see that she was shaking. Carefully he inched forward and pressed his nose against one of her hands, silently offering her his support. As much as he wanted to rip Paul’s throat out, this was her fight, her score to settle, and all he could do was be there for her while she did it and jump in if she needed help. Until then he would watch and wait, and keep anyone who tried to interrupt at bay.
“Spoiled me? You
used
me. Every single day, forcing me to rip secrets from people’s heads so you could use them against them. You made me feel like I was a…a
freak
! Like I wasn’t good for anything other than doing your bidding. Well, I’m
finished,
Paul. I’m done. You’re not getting anything else out of me, and I’m not going to let you hurt the one person who has shown me true kindness regardless of who or what I am. So if you want to shoot someone, you’re going to have to shoot me.”
The silence in the room was stifling once Camilla was done with her rant. No one moved, and it seemed like no one breathed either. All eyes were on Paul and Camilla, though a few darted to Danielle who was standing off to the side with the gun held loosely in her hand. No one seemed to know what to do.
Camilla was shaking and staring Paul down, and Paul looked like the picture of composure, but Karic could smell the sour scent of fear coming from him. He obviously wasn’t used to being challenged, and he didn’t seem to know how to react to it. But there was one constant thing with men like him, and that was that they never stayed off guard for long. In some ways, he reminded Karic of his father and the way he would never back down from something even if he was definitely on the wrong side of it.
“You dare to speak to me like that?” Paul demanded, and he rose from his chair, stalking towards them. “You ungrateful little bitch! I’ve put up with your nonsense for long enough!” His dark eyes were intent, and Karic could already tell that this wasn’t going to end well for someone. He needed to get Camilla out of here, but she wasn’t even paying attention to him anymore.
Her eyes were locked on Paul, and as soon as he was close enough, her hand shot out, grabbing his arm. For a moment, nothing happened, but then there was a sharp inhale from Camilla, and a low growl burst from her throat. “You
bastard!
” she screeched. “You said they abandoned me! You said my father
left
me here because he didn’t want me! You
killed
him!”
And now Paul did look frightened. He jerked his arm back, but it was clear that the damage had already been done. Apparently Camilla’s strange talent only got stronger when she was feeling threatened. And what a horrible thing to have learned.
There was a swirl of energy in the air, and everyone in the room seemed to be reacting to it. Growls and hisses echoed through the room, and Karic took a step back, unsure of what was happening. It all seemed to be coming from Camilla, and one minute she was standing there in her robe looking livid, and the next she was exploding out of her skin with a scream and lunging at Paul in full lion mode.
Karic had never seen anyone transform that fast, but with the way Camilla was feeling it made sense. Shifters were creatures of emotion after all, and there was no telling how many conflicting feelings were warring in Camilla right now.
Paul seemed to be trying to fight her off, but while he was in human form there was little he could do.
“Get off of me!” he cried, trying to get his hands around Camilla’s neck, but she snapped her teeth down on one of his hands before he could even get a grip, causing him to howl in pain. “Shoot her!” he ordered breathlessly. “Shoot her and be done with it.”
No one in the room moved. It was plain to see that the loyalty that Paul enjoyed only really extended to fear, and now that it seemed like there might be a chance that someone else was going to come out on top, most of them weren’t so keen to throw their lives on the line for their leader. Which was yet another reason why packs were a waste of time in Karic’s opinion.