7. Chapter 7
“What do you want?” she shouted, pointing the gun directly at me and I stared into her eyes, her stunning features sharpening with every second that passed.
I wanted to enjoy it, to relish her wild beauty, but her hand shook noticeably and I needed to get to the point of my being here before she accidentally, or intentionally, pulled the trigger.
“I…” I paused as the breeze shifted and her scent wrapped around me.
I forced myself back to the reason I was here, denying the fierce animal need that suddenly consumed me.
“I think you know who…what I am. I can help you.” She softened, the barrel of the shotgun lowering slightly.
“I have something of yours. It’s in my pocket. Do you want it back?”
She nodded and I reached into my coveralls, my eyes locked onto her, hoping that she knew what she was doing with the gun she was holding — it looked like it could blow a hole through the side of a barn.
I pulled out the necklace, gripping it in my fist, then rolling my hand over and showing it to her.
“You found my necklace,” she sounded ready to talk but still held the gun in my direction. I would have to tread lightly if I wanted her to trust me.
When I was a boy, my father brought a new woman into the pack.
She'd been horribly abused by her previous alpha and spent most of the first few weeks in her room, alone.
My mother had died when I was two and I'd never gotten along with his other mates, but I instantly connected with this one.
She was so broken, so sad, and I wanted to help her.
Her name was Naomi and every day, I would bring her food and try to talk to her.
After a few weeks, she grew more comfortable with me hanging around, finally asking my name, then my age.
Over the next few months, she opened up to me, then the rest of the pack. The process was slow and painful, but I could see her in the woman in front of me.
“My name's Max. What's yours?”
“Nadia,” she said brusquely. It was a good start.
“Nadia, I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to talk.”
Nothing. The gun stayed put. I was mesmerized by her, but was aware that she wouldn’t hesitate to kill me if she felt threatened. She’d been through something terrible, I could see the pain in her eyes and I needed her to let down her guard.
“Throw the necklace to me and get the hell out of here.” Her voice was heavily accented and fear was woven into each word.
We needed to talk, but couldn’t force her to do anything so I gave in and tossed the jewelry in her direction.
It hit the frozen ground a few inches from her feet and she motioned towards the truck. “Now go. You shouldn’t be here.”
“I can help you,” I said. “You saw me the other day. I’m like you.”
“You’re nothing like me,” she snapped, crouching down and retrieving the necklace from the ground, gripping it tightly as she backed into the house and slammed the door shut.
There was no way a random lycan showed up on the same island where that body was found.
She was either involved in whatever was happening or knew about it.
I returned to the truck and turned it on, backing out slowly, then drove towards town.
I’d made contact; that was a good first step.
Isla’s directive to observe had already been chucked out of the window, but I knew Nadia needed help.
Now I had to convince her that I was the one to give it.
I parked on the street in front of the hotel, not bothering to lock the doors.
Even if someone stole the ancient vehicle, there was nowhere to take it.
I walked inside, out of the bitter cold and the warmth of the fire in the dining area sizzled against my skin. Eileen was at the front desk and she smiled and waved.
“Sorry to see your friend leave,” she sounded like she wanted to chat. I had nowhere else to be.
“So am I.”
“Did you find the owner of that necklace?”
“I think so,” I said as I leaned against the counter, staring into Eileen’s eyes and smiling.
I could be charming, it was a natural gift that alphas possessed, but I usually didn’t feel like putting in the effort.
At this point, I needed somewhere to start and a busybody like her would be bursting with information to share.
“Have you noticed anything strange going on lately; maybe groups of people hanging around the island that you don't recognize?”
“The muskox hunters that come in for the season are pretty odd, but they’re harmless.
” She laughed, I smiled indulgently, she thought again.
“Now that I think about it, there’s this group on the east side of the island that showed up about six months ago, but mostly keep to themselves.
Some people around here say they’re a cult, but I think they prefer not having the local gossips in their business.
” Eileen leaned onto the counter and chuckled, her voice slightly raspy.
“That’s a tough thing to do in this place. ”
I snorted and made a mental note of what she said. “This road?” I motioned towards the one that ran in front of the hotel. There were no street names or numbers; in a way it reminded me of where I grew up, empty roads that stretched until they ended, usually in a swamp.
“Yes. Take it east, then turn right when you get to the old school. You can’t miss the place, it’s run down as all hell, and there’s a fence around a group of five or six buildings.”
“Do you know how many people live there?” I tread carefully, not wanting to appear too interested. “Just curious; this place is fascinating.” I gave her a smile, the one that always worked, and cranked up the charm to eleven.
“Uh…I don’t know for sure, more than a few, less than a dozen, but I haven’t been out that way in years and they don’t tend to visit town very often. I’ve run into them here less than a handful of times.”
Handful wasn’t very specific, but I got the idea.
“Thanks so much for your help, Eileen. I’d love to get some history about the island one day, if you’ve got time.
” We said our goodbyes and I went back to my room, thinking about Isla, and how much I missed her.
As I lay on the bed, I glanced at my phone, looking for a message, but she was still in transit.
I groaned, then rested my head on my arm and stared at the ceiling.
I knew I could bring Nadia around. She needed help and the one thing I could do was help her. She was alone, which was odd. If she was connected to the compound, why wouldn’t she be there? My thoughts churned restlessly as I showered, then got dressed and headed downstairs.
Dinner was another slab of muskox and I inhaled it. The only way it would be better was if I hunted it down myself, but that would be dangerous. If any of the muskoxen I saw roaming around earlier died suspiciously, it would definitely draw attention.
“You’re eating alone tonight. Did your friend leave?” The waitress asked.
“Yeah, she had to get back to work.”
“Are the two of you together?” That question was loaded. I didn’t want to be rude, but it was none of her business. I leaned back in my chair and shook my head, hoping that she wasn’t hitting on me. Turning her down would make the rest of my stay here extremely awkward.
“No, just colleagues.” It was mostly the truth.
“I get off in an hour, you know, if you want to get a drink or something.” I was awful at this, but absolutely couldn’t get involved with anyone right now, and even if I did, I didn’t care for her scent. It was too human, too desperate.
“I’d love to, but I’m seeing someone right now,” I lied smoothly and the woman blushed furiously.
“Sorry, I didn’t see a ring, so I assumed.”
“No, it’s flattering, don’t worry about it. I’d definitely take you up on it otherwise.” Her posture shifted and she stared nervously at the table.
“Do you need anything else?”
“Not right now, thank you.” She turned and walked back into the kitchen.
I thought about what Eileen had told me, about the compound on the eastern side of the island. I’d wait another few hours, then go sniff around to see if I could find any trace of lycan. Maybe the woman would be there.
I answered some emails, then looked through my window at the street below. The town was dead. It was time to go. I headed down the back stairs, slipping my spare key behind the fire alarm and propping the emergency exit door open, then walked through the back lot and into the darkness beyond.
Eileen had said the compound was on the eastern side of the island, so I looked in that direction, sniffing the air, but picked up nothing.
There was no wind tonight and I placed my clothes in a neat pile next to the dumpsters and shifted, then dashed across the open fields that extended behind the town.
I kept just off the main road, following it east, then turning once I reached the intersection.
The asphalt ribbon stretched in front of me, through the darkness and I began to wonder if Eileen had been wrong.
I kept going and a few minutes later, saw the low glow of lights ahead.
I slowed, then crept, lowering my body so it was hidden in the grass and shrubs, hanging back as I took in what I saw.
Compound was the best word to describe the group of buildings that consisted of a large, wooden house that stood in the middle of a few other squalid structures with a ragged fence wrapped around the perimeter.
It was almost completely dark except for the lights coming from the house.
I located a gap in the fencing and paced towards it, looking through.
Two men walked by, speaking in a language I didn’t recognize, then I heard it, a howl.