Page 90 of (Sur)real
“I’ll have Mom check with the other girls,” he said, wrapping me in a towel. “Let’s dry you off before you get cold.”
The gentle swipe of the towel against my back soothed me. I leaned against his chest and let him do the work.
“Winifred is sending Mom in to take a look at you,” he said after a moment.
I smiled slightly, knowing Charlene probably just wanted to mother me a bit. By Mating Emmitt, I’d gained a full family. A Mom, Dad, and even Grandma. I loved all of them and didn’t mind moments like this when they wanted to take care of me.
A knock sounded at the door. Emmitt grabbed a towel to wrap around his own waist and called out “just a minute” as he helped me from the bathroom to our bed. With a towel securely around my torso and my stomach still trying to talk me back into the bathroom, I willingly laid back.
He strode across the room and pulled open the door. A man stepped forward and hit Emmitt in the face with the butt of his rifle, driving him back a step. I screamed. More men pushed into the room.
Emmitt burst into his fur, snarling and growling. He went after the first man while the second leveled his gun at Emmitt.
“No!” I wailed.
“Stop!”
The shout echoed into the room from the hallway. The men froze, only their panicked eyes moving.
Emmitt snarled and stalked closer. I shook, too afraid to leave my place on the bed.
CHARLENE…
Thomas kept a hand on my shoulder, but I barely felt it as the attackers’ wills became my own. I could feel Blake’s influence. No one here had been coerced or threatened. These were Blake’s men, bought and paid for. They understood what they were doing. They liked it. I read their intentions through their wills. They meant to kill them all. My family. But they would spare the women and take them safely to Blake at the airport.
I boiled with rage. It would be so easy to end them. Such a move would save us from worrying they would ever come back. But I couldn’t. Something bad would happen if I started making those kinds of choices. I knew that in my bones.
Sam called out from down the hall.
“We’re pinned in but okay.”
“Is anyone hurt?” Winifred asked.
“No.” The word came from Sam and was echoed by Michelle inside the room.
Taking a deep breath, I focused my will on the humans in the hall.
“Step aside to let them through,” I said.
The humans shuffled their positions just enough so I could see Sam, Gabby, Henry, and Clay.
Sam nodded at me. “We’ll get the cars ready.”
“It looks clear outside the hotel,” Gabby added.
“We’ll be right behind you,” Winifred said. “Charlene, should I get our things?”
“Yes. I have control of them all.”
I focused on the men crowding the doorway of Emmitt’s room.
“Step aside to let us through.”
My son stood in his fur between Michelle and the attackers. When he saw me, he shifted back to his skin. I stayed in the hall, feeling every connection.
“You don’t belong here,” I said. “You don’t hate werewolves. You understand they are being hunted. You want to leave.”
“Not good enough, Mom. After they leave, they call Blake and tell him to go fuck himself. Have each one take a turn so Blake’s getting calls for the next hour.”
