Sam #2
“That’s okay. Ben will think you’re okay, too, because you were nice to me. He was real scared for me to leave, but I was the only one small enough to fit through the window. Ben tried and tried to push the bars off, but not even he was strong enough and he’s super strong.”
Vaughn coughed and his hands began to change where they laid on Ollie’s back, claws forming from the tips of his fingers and hair where there’d been no hair before.
So surreal.
“There are bars on the windows?” Vaughn asked.
“Uh-huh. And we’re not supposed to go outside, but Ben and Mrs. Foote got in a big fight, and he got real scared.
We all talked about it and decided I had to go get help.
Henry said we needed to find Alpha Jerrick.
He made me say it over and over so I wouldn’t forget, and then Ben helped me climb all the way up to the tippy top of the house.
Then there was a little window so Ben picked me up real high, and I had to fit through it and climb down.
Henry pointed which way for me to run, so I ran and ran and ran, and then it started raining and I got scared.
But I found Sam’s house, because he had a light on!
Ben told me to go straight to find the alpha, but I couldn’t smell very good with all the rain and I was pretty scared. ”
“I bet you were. You were really brave, and Ben is going to be really proud of you.”
Ollie’s expression turned serious. “You won’t hit Ben, will you?”
Sam heard the unasked “or me” at the end of the question.
“Never, Ollie. Alphas don’t hit cubs.”
The words were a promise, and one Sam needed to hear as well.
“Can we go get my friends now?” Ollie yawned the question.
It was approaching midnight and they really needed to go get the rest of the kids.
Sam didn’t want them spending another night living in fear.
They had to be worried sick about Ollie, especially after the storm.
He went to his coat closet and grabbed his hiking boots and a parka.
Vaughn shot him a look, but didn’t try to dissuade him further.
While Vaughn continued to gently question Ollie, Sam got himself ready for a walk through dark, wet woods.
The storm had eased off, although he could still hear a smattering of sprinkling.
Sam went to his bedroom and retrieved a pair of wool socks before pulling off his damp t-shirt and replacing it with a well-worn, long-sleeved one.
By the time he returned to the living room, Ollie had drifted to sleep against Vaughn’s chest with Sam’s blanket tucked tightly around him.
“You can leave someone here with him if you want. We don’t know what we’re walking into with this Mrs. Foote person.”
Vaughn shook his head. “I don’t think he should be away from me right now. My pack is on their way. We’ll keep him safe.”
Questions piled into Sam’s mind but he pushed them aside as he tied the laces on his hiking boots. More cars pulled up outside and was never more thankful that half the houses in his subdivision were empty. The last thing he needed was a suspicious neighbor calling the cops on him.
Vaughn stood and adjusted a soundly sleeping Ollie in his arms. He carried him outside while pulling Sam’s blanket over his back to shield him from any remaining rain.
Several of the people standing in Sam’s front yard were familiar to him, and shot puzzled glances his way.
Some he knew from high school. Others from around town.
He’d not suspected anything different about any of them.
Before Sam could think any further on it, Vaughn began to speak.
“Thanks for coming so late. We have some kids in trouble— some cubs— and this little guy found his way to me. He’s left a trail of their clothes in the woods for us to follow. Everyone stick close and prepare to protect the little ones at all costs.”
Sam expected Vaughn to lead the way, but he didn’t.
As a couple men and women darted ahead, led by Travis, the man from earlier, Vaughn walked calmly after them.
Others fanned out around Vaughn, and Sam decided his best bet was to just stick close.
All of them walked steadily through the dark woods, unlike Sam, who stumbled every third step over some unseen obstacle.
“Brooks,” Vaughn said quietly. Moments later a man darted through the trees and appeared at Vaughn’s side. “Help Sam. He doesn’t have the advantage of our vision.”
Brooks adjusted his step and moved beside Sam.
He didn’t say anything, just grabbed Sam’s arm on occasion to guide him around something on the ground.
They walked for what felt like hours. Sam hadn’t thought to grab his cell and gave himself a mental kick for wandering off into the woods in the middle of the night without any form of communication.
Vaughn kept a steady pace, occasionally speaking quietly to different pack members as they appeared from between the trees.
Sam realized after a while that they were scouting the area by running ahead to find the next item of clothing Ollie had dropped and reporting back to Vaughn.
Finally, more and more of the pack stayed with them, and they seemed to be set on their destination.
Before too much longer, they slowed and the rest of the pack appeared in front of them.
“About a hundred yards ahead,” Travis said softly to Vaughn. “I’m getting a pretty big whiff of magic. Didn’t get close enough to suss out much more than that. Didn’t want to trigger any alarms.”
“Understood,” Vaughn said. “Brooks, take Ollie. Stay close, but out of the way. If things go bad, get him the hell out of here.”
He handed the boy over, and Ollie barely made a sound as he cuddled against the other man’s chest. Vaughn touched his hair gently, smoothing the damp strands away from Ollie’s forehead. Then he turned around, and Sam watched as he readied himself for whatever it was they were facing.
“Travis, how much of the place could you see?”
“Enough. Windows are all barred over. I think I saw the spot the little guy told us about. Looks like an attic vent.”
“Okay, find me a way in.”
They all nodded and jogged away, fanning out as they went. Vaughn then turned to Sam.
“I don’t suppose I can convince you to stay back here with Brooks and Ollie?”
“Highly doubtful.”
Vaughn sighed. “Then I need you to stay behind me and do what I say without argument, okay? I don’t know what we’re walking into.”
“I get it. I’ll stay back until it’s safe.”
Vaughn nodded and reached out for Sam’s arm. “Come on. I want to get close enough to see for myself.”
Sam let Vaughn guide him through the last stretch of woods before a clearing appeared. In the center of it sat a run-down, old farmhouse. Even in the spotty moonlight, Sam could see the peeling paint and sagging wood on the back porch. Vaughn stopped and a couple pack members appeared beside him.
“Looks like the windows are spelled in addition to the bars, but I think I can fit through the attic vent.” The woman was petite, but Sam doubted even she was tiny enough to fit through an opening that had only managed to fit a small child.
Vaughn stared at the house for a long moment. “Try. Travis, go with Karen. I’m going to try the direct approach. If that doesn’t work, I want a hole torn in that roof big enough to get those kids out.”
Several of the pack members nodded and darted toward the house.
Sam hung back as Vaughn started walking around to the front of the house, but he made sure to keep the alpha in his sight.
Calm as you please, Vaughn walked up the steps to the front porch and knocked on the door.
He waited about three seconds then pounded about twenty times.
A light came on in one of the downstairs windows, and when Sam glanced up, he saw the faces of several children peering through the glass of an upstairs window.
He waved, unsure if they could even see him, but he hoped he looked friendly.
If he’d heard pounding like that on his door as a child, he’d have been scared half to death.
Then again, from what Ollie had told them, these kids were already terrified.
When the door finally jerked open, Sam’s eyes about bulged out of his head. Half of his brain had been expecting some Miss Hannigan type of woman in Mrs. Foote, but nope. She looked like your average soccer mom next door. Sam dared to take a step closer.
“You can’t be here,” she hissed at Vaughn.
And there it was. The darkness Sam had expected made an appearance in just a few short words.
“I would advise you to open this door and get out of my way.” Vaughn’s voice deepened into a low growl that sent a shiver of fear down Sam’s spine. Mrs. Foote didn’t seem to be affected by it.
“You’ve made a mistake, Alpha. You need to leave before I make you leave.”
Vaughn laughed. Actually laughed like she’d said the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. For all Sam knew, she had.
“That’s the approach you’re going to take? You know, I have the alpha of the hellhounds on speed dial, and last I heard they have agreements with a few of the most powerful of your kind. I wonder how long it would take Meshaq to get here when I tell him you’re abusing cubs. You want to find out?”
She hissed, and Sam nearly called out a warning to Vaughn when he noticed blue sparks forming at the end of her fingers.
“Don’t,” one of the pack whispered from behind him.
Sam nearly jumped out of his skin. He hadn’t realized anyone had stayed with him, but of course, Vaughn would have made sure he was safe, too.
The spoken warning from the pack member worked and Sam stayed silent, waiting and keeping a close eye on the woman in the doorway.
“Brooks,” Vaughn called out. “You mind hitting speed dial for me? Because Mrs. Foote here doesn’t seem to think I’m serious.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
Sam didn’t need to see Brooks to know he’d followed Vaughn’s order.
With another sound that didn’t seem natural, Mrs. Foote threw open the door and stepped aside.
“Wise choice, ma’am. Now, I’m not sure what kinds of magic you have on this place, but it reeks in here so I’d advise you to drop all of these spells before I decide to think of you as an imminent threat. I’m sure you’re aware that when cubs are involved, alphas aren’t known for their patience.”
“Which is exactly why you aren’t supposed to be here,” Mrs. Foote hissed again.
“Hmm, I have no doubt you were counting on that. Ben, Natasha? Emily, Jack, Henry?” All the names Ollie had managed to tell them earlier. Vaughn remembered every single one of them. Another piece of his anger toward Vaughn chipped away.
After Vaughn called out, Sam couldn’t wait any longer.
He hurried over to the base of the steps with his shifter shadow at his side.
Sam looked past Vaughn to the stairs inside and saw several sets of legs appear on the uppermost steps.
He couldn’t see them any more clearly because of his angle, but Vaughn obviously could.
“So, I hear you guys were looking for me,” Vaughn said. Several of the children gasped loud enough for Sam to hear them, and then a stampede of little legs ran down the steps and surrounded Vaughn.
Sam couldn’t believe how bedraggled they all looked.
He fought back tears at the state of them.
Then he saw the boy who must be Ben. He’d stopped half way down the steps and was staring at Vaughn with such desperate fear and hope that Sam nearly lost control.
The kid was well over six feet tall, but Sam only had to look at his face to realize how young he was.
His eye was swollen nearly shut, and Sam couldn’t stand back any longer.
He started forward with a growl of his own. The pack member grabbed him and stopped him before he reached the first step.
“Let me go right now,” Sam demanded.
Vaughn glanced up from the huddled mass of bodies around him and nodded.
Sam’s arm was released, and he tore up the steps.
Ben stood there looking so lost, clearly unsure of what to do.
Sam could see the worried question in Ben’s eyes, though, so he went right up to him and pulled the boy into a hug.
Ben’s breath caught, and he leaned down into the embrace.
“You did well,” Sam whispered. “Ollie’s fine, okay?
He’s just outside and he wants to see you. ”
“He made it,” Ben breathed, his voice barely above a whisper, and some of the tension left his young shoulders. “The storm came faster than I thought, and it was so bad, and he was already so scared.”
“He was, but he did exactly what he was supposed to do. We’re here now, okay? Everything is going to be fine.” Ben nodded and his breath hitched. Sam squeezed him again then pulled back. He left an arm around the boy’s waist and guided him down the remaining few stairs. “Vaughn, this is Ben.”
Vaughn reached out a hand to Ben, and when Ben took it, Vaughn pulled him closer.
The rest of the kids were small enough that Vaughn could lean forward and press his forehead to Ben’s.
The boy had to lean over a bit— Ollie hadn’t been kidding when he said Ben was really tall— but he seemed to know exactly what the alpha wanted from him.
They both closed their eyes and breathed.
“Ben!” The pack member who had been holding Ollie carried him into the room. The little boy wiggled his way down and ran to the others, throwing himself against them.
Sam watched for a second as the kids were reunited, the emotion of the moment nearly overwhelming him. Then he spun on his heel toward the woman who was glaring at them from the other side of the room.
“Get out,” Sam demanded. “Leave. And don’t come back, or so help me God, I will find a way to end you.”
She scoffed, but Sam didn’t care. He’d never hit anyone in his entire life, but he wanted to in that moment. He stormed over to her and leaned into her space.
“These kids are precious, and you have abused them horribly. You need to run and don’t stop. Because I fully intend to make sure you pay for this.”
She spun around and stomped back toward a room at the back. Sam watched her go, only to see her appear a moment later with a purse in hand.
“Take them,” she snarled. “See if I care.”