He didn’t bother responding, continuing down the street to a car parked in front of a fire hydrant. Brave of him. The meter maids down here went after parking violations with a rabid intensity. He opened the door and shoved me inside, slamming it shut after me.
“Where are we going?” I asked as he got into the driver’s seat.
He didn’t respond as he started the car and pulled away from the curb. Guess it was going to be a surprise.
CHAPTER SEVEN
AN HOUR OUTSIDE the city, the car’s headlights illuminated a two-story farm house. We were far enough out that the roads no longer had formal names, just a bunch of numbers.
The house looked like it was built back in the early 1900s. Set back from the road, it had a wrap-around porch with a rocking chair and several potted plants, lending it a warm, homey appearance. An extension had been added to the back with a careful attention to detail, allowing it to blend in with the rest of the house.
It was cute and definitely not what I pictured as a werewolf’s den. I had something a little more rustic in mind. Maybe a lodge or even one of those houses that looked like it was falling down around its owners. Not this white picket fence house.
As we pulled up, three men came to stand on the porch, watching us get out.
“See you found the escapee,” the one on the steps observed.
He wasn’t familiar, but I hadn’t gotten a good look at all of the wolves at the bar. The other two were people I recognized. One being Declan, looking mildly interested in my presence. The other was the man from Miriam’s shop. The glare he leveled at me was the kind reserved for when someone had mortally offended you, like when they kicked your puppy or took the last piece of pizza. I didn’t know what I’d done to earn that level of enmity.
“What’s she doing here?” he asked, not taking his eyes off me.
The first man gave him a slow look. “Since when were you high enough in the pack to ask questions like that? Unless you were planning on a challenge, Victor.”
Victor scowled at the first man and folded his arms over his muscled chest. “You won’t always be beta, Clay.”
The first man’s easy-going manner disappeared. He straightened and stared Victor down.
“Is that a challenge, boyo?”
Victor held his gaze for a minute before breaking eye contact and stalking inside the house.
The group was silent for a long minute after the door slammed shut.
I felt a little awkward as I waited for the tension to fade. I felt a little bad for the guy. He’d asked a simple question, and it had devolved into a dominance game. If this was how every interaction was between werewolves, I was glad I’d dodged that bullet. Guarding every word out of my mouth would be exhausting.
I followed Brax up the stairs, lingering behind by a couple of steps.
Clay had relaxed back against the post with a pleasant expression on his face as he smiled at me. I stared back, not changing expression. I was here under duress. I figured that excused me from having to make pleasantries with my captors.
“Was that necessary?” Brax asked.
Clay shrugged. “It’ll do him good. Perhaps it’ll curb some of his more dickish tendencies.”
“Unlikely,” Declan observed.
Clay watched me with a tilted head. “You’re not what I pictured. Thought you’d be taller and a lot more buff.”
“I’m devastated I don’t live up to your imagination,” I said.
To my surprise, Clay threw his head back and laughed. “That’s more like what I pictured. I like her.”
“My life is complete. I can die happy.” I turned to Brax. “So where is my cage this time? The basement again?”
He watched me with cool eyes. “I think I’ve properly motivated you to stay so we can forgo locking you up this time. First though, we’re going to have a chat.” He stepped closer. “And you’re going to tell me everything you know about these murders, including why the vampires are so interested.”
My interrogation was pretty tame by most standards. There was no waterboarding or sensory deprivation. They simply sat me down in the kitchen and served me a mug of blood.
I sniffed cautiously when the feral woman from the bar set it in front of me. I wouldn’t put it past her to put something in it after I pushed her down the stairs.
