Chapter 44 Running out of Time
forty-four
Running out of Time
*BENJAMIN*
Istay hidden in the storage room until the sun starts setting and gives me more chance to sneak around without being seen.
I make it from the storage room further through the corridor.
Hopefully by now, Nova has escaped the property and is meeting our friends and family.
I only managed to link Marcellus briefly, but the fact that I did makes me feel so accomplished already.
For the first time in my life, I actually feel worthy and as if I can achieve things.
Someone is coming, Stellan alerts me.
I jump to the other side of the corridor, opening the door to a fortunately empty room, and hold my breath.
“Atticus, what’s with the useless wolf that escaped?”
I peek out of the small window, carefully not to be seen, spotting Atticus walking next to a tall, handsome man. My heart stops beating for a moment. That’s him! The one who abducted us! It has to be Aloysius!
Atticus looks stoic and serious. “Our warriors are still searching for him, Lord Aloysius.”
Aloysius lowers his gaze to a dangerous glare. “And how come you haven’t intervened and found him yet?”
“I wanted to test them,” Atticus explains. “He is just a useless wolf. I need to know which one of my guards is capable of doing that small thing.”
Aloysius seems to like what he just heard. “Very well. Where is Juniper?”
“She got the blood test,” Atticus explains. “And took it to the laboratory.”
“Why wasn’t that done sooner?”
“Because the kid made a fuss,” Atticus says.
“Is it done now?”
“Yes, the results should be here soon.”
“Have you heard from our friends?” Aloysius asks.
“Not yet, the lycans busted too many of them. Troi was useless. Fortunately, he didn’t know enough.”
“Not as useless as Gregory,” Aloysius snarls. “He had one job and messed it up. To imagine I fed him all the information.”
Gregory… that’s the alpha who abducted Charlie and her friends a couple of months ago! So, he indeed had help, just like Silas and our allies expected.
“The wolves are too dumb,” Aloysius spats. “That cult I supported was good for nothing, too.”
“With your help, they managed to eradicate a couple of werecat prides, though,” Atticus says.
“Yes, at least they were fun,” Aloysius sighs.
“It’s so boring, Atticus. Messing with the wolves was a bit of a distraction, but what am I going to do now?
They are slowly getting suspicious, and I don’t need a conflict with the lycans.
They are too strong and not as stupid as the regular wolves.
Maybe I will play with the witches next. ”
I have no idea what kind of cult he is talking about.
I just vaguely remember that Marcellus once told me about a cult in Egypt.
Alpha Ezra, who saved Lori, is working together with a pride.
I think his brother is mated to the werecat queen.
This is all too complicated to figure out now, but what strikes me is Aloysius’ explanation.
Boredom?
He is doing all this because he is bored?
Who does this asshole think he is?
“I want to see the kid,” Aloysius says.
“The little girl?” Atticus says, and I swear he sounds like he is stalling.
“Are there more kids here?” Aloysius says, annoyed.
“No, my Lord. Please follow me.”
Their footsteps become silent as they walk past me. Realizing I can’t let this chance slip, I scoot out of my hideout to follow them silently so that I am still within hearing distance. Hiding behind a corner, I can see them opening the door to a room. That must be Maddie’s!
My heart stops beating for a second. Goddess, he is in a room with Maddie! What’s he going to do now?
“Aloysius,” a voice says. I have heard it before, more than once! Peeking around the corner, I spot the tall frame of a man I have indeed seen a number of times.
“Durant, my little brother,” Aloysius says, reaching out his hands and patting Durant’s shoulders. “You did so well. I am glad to know that at least one of my brothers is loyal.”
Durant smiles shyly, making my heart sink. “Anything for you, Aloysius.”
“I am glad you don’t hold it against me that I hit you,” Aloysius says, in his smooth tone that sends chills down my spine.
“No, I deserved it,” Durant says. “The little girl is in this room.”
“What about the blood test?” Aloysius asks.
“I sent a second one to the lab,” Durant says.
“What about Juniper?”
“I told you she is betraying you,” Durant professes.
“Ah, you must forgive me for doubting you. But you and she were both saying the same thing,” Aloysius chuckles. “But you have proven your loyalty.” He turns to Atticus. “Find Juniper and kill her.”
I am positive I see Atticus stiffen slightly, but he nods. “Yes, Lord Aloysius.”
He turns on his heels, running in my direction.
What the fuck am I going to do now? There is not enough time to hide now, so I prepare for a fight, wondering how I am going to overpower Atticus, and then Durant and Aloysius when Atticus walks around the corner.
He raises his gaze, eyeing me in surprise.
To my shock, though, he doesn’t halt; he doesn’t say anything, simply tears his eyes away and walks past me.
What was that? I ask Stellan. When he let me run the first time, I thought it was part of his game, but now?
No idea, Stellan mutters. But I have the feeling we are not his priority right now.
Before Atticus disappears down the staircase, he turns to look at me. There is something in his eyes, something urgent, insistent, and I wonder what he wants to tell me. While I am still wondering, he turns around again, hurrying downstairs and leaving me with more than one question.
It’s obvious I am running out of time, though. It seems like Juniper was secretly stalling time for us and working as a double agent. Meanwhile, Durant double-crossed us all, and he sent a blood test to the laboratory, meaning Aloysius will soon know that Maddie is his child.
Fuck it! Stellan, prepare for a fight.
I am ready!
I take a shaky breath, scooting closer to Maddie’s door.
I wish I could say I didn’t hesitate or that I wasn’t scared, but the fact is, I am terrified.
I have trained with Lucian, but taking it up with an ancient vampire lord…
no way. There is a reason Silas never joins our training.
He said to me once that he is too scared he’d accidentally kill one of his warriors.
This sounds more and more like a suicide mission.
I can hear a phone ringing inside the room, focusing on my werewolf senses to hear better. “That’s the lab,” Durant says.
“Pick it up,” Aloysius commands.
For a moment, I can hear Durant talking to whoever is on the other line. Once he hangs up, I can hear him clear his throat. “They got the results.”
“And?” Aloysius says impatiently.
“She is yours. You are the father.”
My heart sinks even further. Up to this moment, I still had some hope left that Durant would turn around and not betray us.
“My child?” Aloysius sneers. “A filthy half-breed.”
I can hear some shuffling, and then all of a sudden I hear Maddie. She is crying. Fuck, she must be so scared!
“This is it, time to clean my bloodline,” Aloysius says.
“But…” Durant protests. “You said you would banish her.”
“I will. Banish her to her creator,” Aloysius snickers.
The sick bastard! She is just a child, and he talks about killing her as if she were a disposable object. As if she weren’t a living, breathing being!
“Right now?” Durant asks.
“Of course, now! I will not take any chances on my brother finding her. Most of the others are useless. But Silas isn’t. He is smart and cunning.”
I can hear Maddie’s crying getting louder. She is mumbling something inaudible, as if she is gurgling. Okay, that’s it. Time’s running out! I hope Nova made it to Silas and Marcellus, because I am certainly not waiting any longer.
Without waiting a second longer, I dash forward and rip the door open.
For a split second, the two men look utterly surprised to see me.
Durant looks shocked, anxious even, and I easily push past him, using the momentum to rip Maddie out of Aloysius’s hands.
That asshole had his hands around her throat. She is coughing now and clinging to me.
“And now what, wolf?” Aloysius asks darkly. “I will kill you with ease, and then I will kill the kid. You have no chance against me!”
He isn’t wrong. I have no chance against him. But my wolf senses take something up, a presence. So that’s how it feels. Without Stellan, I wasn’t able to notice it to this extent, but now I can detect it… my alpha is approaching. I hold Maddie tighter, making my decision within seconds.
“I can’t stop you,” I say. “But they will be able to.”
Before he can as much as lift a finger, I rush to the window, throwing myself against it. I hold Maddie tight to my chest, protecting her with my body as I take the fall for both of us, hoping that this stunt will give Silas the time he needs. Hoping they will reach Maddie before Aloysius can.