Page 9 of Those That Don't Exist
“Ok, hurry up! I’m so in need of this!” whines the roommate.
Aurora giggles and shit if my grip doesn’t fail. Luckily my weight is mainly on my stomach as I lay across the roofing tiles. Goosebumps across my skin, which I ignore.
“I’ll be quick, trust me I need to let loose too. Where are we starting?”
“I thought we’d start at Benny's Bar and then onto Rips for some dancing.”
Dancing, she’s going dancing? And drinking no doubt. That could be interesting.Alcohol and sweaty bodies crammed on adance-floor can test even the strongest of us if we haven’t been sated regularly. If she’s feeling any of our instincts at all surely it’ll come out in that setting.
I hear the bathroom door opening as she leaves and I go to move from my ledge. I fully intend to follow the women as they leave the house but as I’m scaling back down the drains my phone vibrates in my back pocket. I try to ignore it but as soon as it stops it starts up again. Hanging on one arm I quickly fish it out and answer.
“Where the fuck are you?” Mitch’s voice whisper shouts through the device.
“Still stalking.”
Shit it must be late.
“Get home now. Adicious is throwing a fit. Ronan arrived with a new guy and he’s refusing to take the blood oath until he sees you.”
Oh, fucking fuck.
“Get your ass here if you want your head to still be on your shoulders come the morning.”
“I’m coming,” I growl. “I’ll be there in half an hour.”
I don't wait for Mitch to respond, I end the call and drop the remaining distance to the ground.
This is bad. Why would Atlas, I’m assuming it’s Atlas since that’s who I’d found the forged death certificate for, give Adicious an ultimatum like that. Not a wise move. I’m surprised he isn’t dead already. And why did Ronan and his brutes have to arrive tonight, when things were finally getting interesting with Aurora.
Sighing, I look up at her bedroom as I pass the front of the house. Her light is now on. I imagine her getting ready for a night of fun with her friends. I want to follow her, just in case she needs protection. I mean hiding.
Fuck, what I actually mean is kidnapping, as that’s what I’ve been instructed to do as soon as she shows me her fangs and bites someone.
As I take to the streets I know there is zero hope I will make it to that club tonight. Despite Adicious’s impatience at getting Aurora to turn, finding a new pack member who survived the war will take top priority. He’ll want Atlas to bond to him.
My brain runs overtime as I start running. A not so small voice also niggles at me. If Aurora does lose control tonight and one of us isn’t there she may well end up in the authorities hands. I should fear for my pack at the risk, but it's her beneath my worry. I run a little faster.
“Well, well, finally he returns.”Adicious’s voice splits through the general chatter in our common room as I walk through the doorway.
It's a lounge of sorts with a few sofas, but also has a couple of pool tables and a few wooden bar tables with a variety of different chairs and an actual wooden bar in the corner. The walls are bare apart from the sconce lighting, several scuff marks, and the shelves of liquor. It's where we generally hang out in this old crumbling ranch house known as home.
The whole pack meeting is clearly over as only a few guys are still lounging about in the room. They all fall silent with Adicious’s greeting which lets me know I’m in deep trouble. I don’t even look at who’s here, I immediately lower my eyes as Adicious stands and stalks towards me.
“Sorry,” I rush out, feeling myself shrinking a little.
“You better have some damn good reason, is it the girl?” he snarls, standing over me now.
“Yes. She broke her routine,” I mutter.
“There better be more than that!” His anger shakes the walls.
“I watched her at the gym today,” I stumble out, “she’s getting far stronger.” A slick oily feeling fills my gut, it's unpleasant. “And she’s going clubbing tonight. I was going to follow her but realised the time.”
I won’t mention Mitch’s call and have Adicious’s anger include him too. Before I can stop my tongue I add, “If I can go back out, I think she might show something tonight, I’ve not seen her tested in a club before, you know how much that can…” A fist slams into my jaw sending me sprawling to the floor.
Fuck, that hurt.
“You defy me tonight and want to go back out?” Adicious spits over me. I rise slowly to my hands and knees, careful to keep my body language submissive. It's not the first time he’s hit me and I know not to stand straight away.
