Chapter 24 #3
The younger guy sighed and ran his hand over his hair, but the other werewolf gave him a stern look. Their dynamic was like that of a father scolding his son.
“We’re taking you to a safe house, Princess,” the older man said. “Alpha’s orders.”
At least he made an effort to answer my questions.
He extended his hand to me, palm up. “Your cell phone and wallet, please.”
I pulled out my phone and small wallet and slapped them into his hand, but he didn’t flinch.
“Thank you. Now, let’s go, Princess.”
“I’m not going anywhere until you let me speak with your Alpha,” I demanded.
The younger warrior started tapping his booted foot, and I glared at him.
The older one pulled out his phone and typed up something. He waited a moment while I held my breath. I wanted to give Torin an earful of curse words.
“The Alpha said he’s busy and can’t talk now.”
The audacity of that man.
I pressed my lips together into a line, lifted my chin high, and walked toward the exit. If there was another car that took Hayden away, it was already gone.
The men followed me. I slid into the back seat of a sedan parked only a block away, and the two men took the front seats.
“You’re not going to blindfold me or put me in the trunk?” I asked sarcastically.
The younger pack member only scoffed while the older werewolf ignored me.
After a short while, we arrived at the outskirts of the city, and the older man parked the car in front of a red brick, two-story house, the third in a row of attached townhomes.
In the distance was a park with a fenced playground and weaving paths. Most of the building lights were off in this quiet residential area.
What would Torin’s men do if I started screaming and woke up the entire neighborhood? Had Torin really ordered them to sedate me if I gave them a hard time?
I let out a heavy sigh and kept walking, lost in my thoughts. Torin had already taken my book away from me, but he still wanted to protect me from halfway across the planet by holding me prisoner in some safe house.
So his brilliant plan was to steal the book and attract the vampires’ attention.
I entered the townhome with the two goons glued to my back. The space inside was small but had a cozy and welcoming vibe. The narrow corridor led to a small kitchen that opened to the living room. A large TV hung on the wall opposite a brown leather couch with two La-Z-Boy chairs on each side.
The two men watched me like hawks, blocking the living room exit. Behind them, a staircase led to the second floor.
“How long am I supposed to stay here? I don’t have any clothes or personal items.”
“Until we get new orders from our Alpha, Princess,” the red-haired man said in a calm voice. “You can find your room upstairs.”
They parted as I headed upstairs. I stomped on each step extra hard, but it didn’t make me feel better. I was stuck and had to find a way out of this prison.
Behind me, the younger guy caught up to me. “You don’t have to worry about clothes, Princess. We don’t mind nudity.”
He grinned as I watched him over my shoulder.
Werewolves were used to nudity. It was a part of their identity, especially when they shifted back to their human forms and searched for clothes while naked. They stashed them everywhere in the kingdom.
But I wasn’t a werewolf and was rather self-conscious of my curvy body.
“I’m a human and have different needs,” I said while walking into one of the two bedrooms.
The room wasn’t fully furnished. It had only a metal bed frame and a mattress with bedsheets and a green quilt.
The warrior moved too close behind me, and I flinched.
“I like how delicate you are,” he said in a low voice.
“Are you tired of living, boy?” the red-haired man’s voice boomed from downstairs, making me smirk. “Get your ass down here and leave the princess alone.”
I turned abruptly and scowled at the younger man. “You heard your boss.”
I might have put on a strong front, but on the inside, words like “fragile” and “delicate” twisted my stomach and burned my body with anguish.
I wanted to drop onto the mattress and not get up for two days, but I made my legs take me downstairs to the two goons.
“I have to talk to your Alpha.” I darted my gaze between them. “And I can be very persistent when I want to. So put him through.”
The older man kept swiping at his phone but eventually handed it to me. I put the phone against my ear.
“Anna?”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “You jerk. How dare you do this to me? I swear to the gods, I’ll knee you in your groin the next time I see you. Hard. So you’ll feel your balls in your throat.”
I spit out my words as fast as possible, afraid he’d hang up on me.
His low chuckle sounded, and the urge to throw the phone against the wall overtook me.
“I’m counting on it, Princess.”
I frowned. “Where are you?”
There was a long pause. I thought Torin really had hung up on me for a moment, but the call was still on when I looked at the screen.
Finally, he said, “I am where I’m supposed to be. Go to sleep, Anna.”
“You asshole… Hello?”
He hung up on me, and I’d achieved nothing.
“This jerk,” I shouted, finally focusing on the two warriors before me.
The older one smiled. Strange. But the younger one had his mouth open, his expression one of shock and disbelief.
He finally recovered and said, “Did she just say that to our Alpha?”
The other warrior laughed. “You’re too young and stupid to understand.”
I groaned and flopped my tired body onto one of the oversized chairs. A weighted feeling traveled over my body, but I pushed my mind to conjure an escape plan.
When I was out of here, I’d get to Torin, take my book back, and kick him in the balls on principle alone.
Would Hayden find me in this cozy and quiet residential neighborhood? And what did Tammy want to talk to me about? Her text seemed urgent.
The men dropped onto the couch. The younger one put his feet on the long wooden coffee table, but the red-haired man smacked him on the back of his head, so he quickly retreated.
I had no weapons. No phone. No wallet. But I could always annoy them to death.
“Aren’t you going to feed your princess?”
I could make them believe I was a spoiled and needy princess while I hatched my escape.
The two men argued over who would go fetch food at this late hour when most places were closed. It must have been past midnight, and no deliveries were happening.
My smile only broadened as I watched them bicker. Of course the red-haired man won, and the younger one stood, grunting and juggling the car keys.
“What are your names?” I asked.
“We shall remain nameless.” The young warrior growled his response as he headed toward the door.
I crossed my legs. “Great. So Robin Hood and Little John it is, then.”
The older warrior, Robin Hood, laughed, and I joined in, but Little John scowled at me.
“Bring alcohol, and make sure the pizza is gluten-free. Please,” I added right before he slammed the door behind him.
Tammy had told me how difficult it was to stock her café with gluten-free food items, but I had a feeling Little John wouldn’t follow my every whim. He might return with a frozen pizza from the grocery store.
I looked at the warrior and smiled. “Robin Hood, you have nerves of steel.”
He grinned at me. “I’m mated and have two pups, Princess.”
He wouldn’t divulge more information—probably Alpha’s orders.
Exhaustion took its toll. My escape would have to be delayed. Instead of waiting for Little John’s return, I climbed the stairs and got into bed—dirty clothes and everything, unbrushed teeth, and no energy left.
The next time I opened my eyes, the day was barely breaking. Out the window, the sky over the houses changed to a brighter blue.
I listened carefully, and when I was sure my two prison wardens were still sleeping, I got up and tiptoed to the shared bathroom. I found a clean towel there, showered, and put back on my dirty clothes.
I took small, quiet steps downstairs, where Robin Hood greeted me as soon as the couch appeared. He must have slept in the living room, expecting me to run away during the night.
I rolled my eyes at him, crossed to the kitchen, and opened the fridge. Breakfast consisted of leftover pizza. Little John sauntered in an hour later with disheveled black hair, rubbing his eyes.
The time passed by at a snail's speed. I watched TV and made sure I chose all rom-com movies. Robin Hood seemed to enjoy them while Little John paced in the living room.
The older warrior received text messages almost every hour and spent a lot of time on his phone. I was bored out of my mind after lunch, and I sighed.
“Princess, you’ve been sighing a lot. What bothers you?” Little John chuckled, and I twisted my body to glare at him.
“Guess.” I opened the fridge for the umpteenth time and pulled out three beer cans. Without warning, I threw a can as fast as I could at Little John, who caught it with a steady hand and an evil fake grin.
I tossed a can to Robin Hood, who thanked me. I didn’t plan to drink much. Getting a werewolf drunk would take more beer than the cans in the fridge, but it was enough for my wardens to drop their guard and relax around me.
While they drank, I bombarded them with questions, sometimes interrupting them before they could answer. Little John started fidgeting and tapping his foot, but Robin Hood watched me with hawk-like eyes as if he knew my thoughts.
“So don’t you want to go back to California instead of being stuck with me here?” I asked. “Robin Hood, don’t you wish to see your mate and pups again?”
Robin Hood smiled at me.
“I’ll see them soon. When we all return to the pack, you’ll probably head back to the kingdom, Princess. London is no longer safe for you. Please, be patient a little longer.”
I didn’t like his words, but my chest warmed anyway. It was as if this man felt my restlessness and didn’t know how to make things better.
“Did you stay away from the kingdom because of what Alpha Torin did to you?” Robin Hood asked, his eyes soft.
Mine widened, and I tried to recall if I had seen this man five years ago.
As if he knew what I was thinking, he nodded at me.
I averted my gaze to my hand holding the beer can. “He was only one reason among many. I wanted to live among humans since I am one of them.”
Robin Hood gave me a small smile as a parent does to their kid when showing adoration and sympathy. It reminded me of how Dad looked at me sometimes.
“You’ll make a great Queen one day,” he said.
Little John held his can in midair. “What did I miss while daydreaming?”
“Nothing and none of your business, boy,” Robin Hood said.
I should learn Robin Hood’s name.
“As your future Queen…” I tried putting some enthusiasm behind my words to lighten up the mood. “I demand you bring me my phone.”
Robin Hood scoffed and turned his attention to the TV screen. He didn’t fall for my antics. He must have been a part of Torin’s Council that had witnessed my humiliation.
While I was not even halfway through my first beer, I took out two more cans and handed them over to the men. They sat sprawled on the couch, watching TV mindlessly.
I switched the channel to music videos, and Robin Hood grunted his disapproval.
He stood and seriously looked at Little John, who raised his beer can with a “cheers.”
The older man headed upstairs, probably to the bathroom, and a spark of hope flickered in my chest.
I couldn’t take on two werewolves but could deal with Little John. Dad had taught me all the knockout points on a body.
Some upbeat song started playing, and I sprang to my feet, dancing. Little John put his feet on the coffee table, bobbing his head with the beat.
I swayed my hips and closed the distance between me and the warrior. His heated gaze set on me.
He didn’t even see it coming.
The side of my hand connected to the crook of his neck in one hard, swift strike. He passed out, but he’d wake up in a moment, recovering faster than a human.
I dashed to the front door, slipped into my boots, and ran out without my phone, wallet, jacket, or a plan.
At the most, I had a five-minute head start before the two werewolves caught me.