Chapter 11 - Cillian #2
He pushed himself from his desk and began to gather his belongings, mentally rattling off everything he would need.
Just as he was about to leave his office, he paused.
For a moment, he wondered if he should call the others.
Camden, Franco, and Jasper would all help the second he called them.
But that would take too long. They were all out on patrol or working their own leads.
He was on a deadline, and if he lost Chase, then his best chance at getting hold of Eric would be gone, and who knew when they would get another opportunity like this. He couldn’t wait.
His mind went back to Amber the night before, how frightened she had been.
His fingers curled into fists. The thought that anyone could elicit that terror in someone so strong sent rage rushing through him.
He was going to find Eric and make him regret ever meeting Amber.
And Chase was the next step to finding out where Eric was and what his plans were.
He shoved himself away from his desk and stalked off.
***
After running at an all-out sprint, it took just over fifty minutes to reach the Midnight Pack.
The pack itself was small, and it took a surprisingly short amount of time for him to catch sight of Chase strolling through town.
Cillian followed in his human form, keeping enough distance between them to remain unnoticed.
It wasn’t until they had dipped into the woods and moved away from the town that Chase suddenly stopped in the middle of a clearing. Without warning, he spun and lunged toward Cillian, who darted out of the way of the other shifter’s surprise attack.
Chase snarled, glaring at him. “Who the fuck are you?” he growled. “You’ve been following me since town.”
“No one you need to worry about,” Cillian said. “You’re not going to have the time to wonder about it, anyway.”
Chase’s eyes narrowed. “Bold talk,” he said with a raised eyebrow. “Do you have anything to back it up with?”
Instead of answering, Cillian lunged. As he ran, he shifted into a large wolf. Chase had just enough time to widen his eyes in surprise, then dart out of the way seconds before Cillian would have landed on his shoulders.
“So, it’s going to be like that, then,” Chase snarled. A second later, Chase was gone, replaced by a great black wolf even larger than Cillian. He snapped at Cillian’s leg when he tried to come close, a warning bite that caused Cillian to step back. Snarling, Chase bared his teeth.
Rage burned through Cillian. Rage at the Night Pack, at Chase, and that lingering anger at Eric. He used that anger, channeling it into his fight to fuel the fire and keep going.
But that rage came at a cost. He was too distracted. He wasn’t focusing. That anger kept distracting him, making him less focused, less precise. If Chase noticed those tiny imprecisions, he would capitalize on them.
When Cillian found his opportunity, he lunged. He shoved Chase to the ground and slammed his paw down on the other wolf’s throat. He pressed down, threatening to crush it at any moment.
The wolf gaped, writhing. A second later, the wolf was gone, replaced by Chase, who grasped at Cillian’s paw as it morphed from claws to a hand still gripping Chase’s neck.
“Tell me where Eric is,” Cillian said. “And I might actually let you live.”
“Go fuck yourself,” Chase spat. Then he shifted back into a wolf and lunged. Cillian darted back, morphing into a wolf at the same time, but it was too late. Chase was on top of him.
Blinding pain burst into life in his side. Cillian yelped, staggering away. Warm blood began to mat his fur.
Cillian wavered. The guy had scoured deep, and moving too much was agony. Still, he couldn’t get up. He lunged forward, but his movements were haphazard and imprecise. He lashed out, dragging his claws across the other wolf’s flank.
The battle continued, the two of them exchanging blows. But Cillian could feel himself weakening. Chase’s attacks had left him weak. He couldn’t keep going for much longer before his strength gave out.
Jumping forward, he lashed out with his claws, dragging them across Chase’s face.
Chase yowled in pain, leaping back from Cillian’s next attack.
Cillian snarled. He needed to end this before it was too late.
He was getting weaker by the minute. He’d let his anger make him hasty, and he couldn’t afford to make any more mistakes unless he wanted to end up several feet under.
But Chase seemed to be thinking along the same lines. He whipped his head around, searching for an exit. Instead of attacking Cillian and risking losing the fight, he bolted, putting as much distance between himself and Cillian as possible.
Cillian watched the other wolf dart into the woods. He took a step forward and stumbled, his leg nearly collapsing out from underneath him. Nauseating pain pulsed through his entire body. As much as he wanted to go after him, he wouldn’t be able to, not like this. He needed to leave.
He snarled in frustration. He hated fleeing. He thought it was the coward’s way out, something he had never expected himself to do. He had never been that type of person before.
This time, however, chasing after Chase would only get him killed.
He’d been stupid coming here on his own.
He should have gotten backup. There were so many reasons Cillian needed to follow Chase.
He needed to stop Chase from reaching Eric, either to help Eric or report to him that a guy matching Cillian’s description had attacked him.
As much as he hated Eric, he couldn’t deny that Eric was smart.
There was a chance that Eric would make the connection.
But going after Chase was a death sentence. He needed to get home as quickly as possible. He was already in danger of bleeding out. And if Chase decided to come back and finish the job, he was a goner anyway. As much as he hated to admit it, he had to leave.
Snarling, forcing himself to move through the pain, Cillian hurried home as fast as he could.