Page 56 of Howling
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
FRANKIE
“How long do you think you’ll survive by randomly traveling across the country without a plan?” the Orion remarks from the passenger seat, an imperious brow raised, his chains rattling as he shifts to find a comfortable spot.
Maybe I should feel bad for leaving him in chains, but I don’t. He planned to do much worse to me. I tilt my head when the fur from my wolf feels like it’s been rubbed the wrong way. Trusting my instincts, I slowly turn toward him and narrow my eyes.
Knowledge gleams back from his almost white eyes, the lights from the dash making them shimmer silver for a second, and my anger lights like a fuse. “Just how fucking long have you been watching me?”
Logically, I knew I was being tracked, and my bones chill as I wonder just how much information he reported back to the council. It’s only sheer luck that I managed to stay one step ahead of them. Now I wonder if that was by design. Was this some elaborate trap?
“When the first Orion teams failed to retrieve you, I volunteered to take the job.” His eyes are shrewd as he surveys me, as if he could crack open my skull and read all my secrets. “I’ve been tracking you for weeks, catching glimpses of you now and then, but anytime I got close enough to take action, you would disappear.”
Frustration and a spark of admiration coat his words, but I refuse to acknowledge the warm glow of pride in my chest, not for someone who was stalking me. “And tonight? How long were you watching?”
He purses his lips, and I catch a slight shimmer to his cheeks.
Is that a blush?
Refusing to be distracted, I narrow my eyes. “Why not just take me instead of waiting?”
When he shoots me a pointed glance, I grimace and mutter the answer. “Givvens.”
The Orion dips his head, grudging respect shining in his eyes. “Never react in the heat of the moment. Stalk your prey and set a trap.”
“Steady wins the war,” I finish the saying, leaning my head against the window as homesickness for my mentor, friend, and only family invades my chest. Even though he died months ago, his loss is still fresh, and I’m nowhere near ready to let him go.
If Givvens trained this guy, it’s only by the grace of the gods that I’m still free. I eye the chains warily, wondering how long they will hold. Givvens was very thorough in his training. If there is a way to escape, the Orion will find it. He is a ticking time bomb, and I’ll need to decide what to do with him sooner rather than later.
The thought of killing him, removing my last connection to Givvens, wrenches my heart, and I shake my head to rid myself of the sentiment. He is the enemy. If given the chance, he willdrag me back to Kyperian in a heartbeat. That’s something I can’t allow.
If it’s between him or me, I won’t have a choice.
I can’t allow the council to gain access to my abilities.
“How long do I have until the others catch up to us?” I ask, wondering if he will tell me the truth.
“No clue.” The Orion shrugs, his chains rattling, a curl of disgust twisting his lips. “I refuse to work with the others.”
“And they allow that?” Blinking in surprise that he would admit the truth, I eye him skeptically. I’ve never heard of any Orion being allowed such freedom. The council wouldn’t tolerate any defiance. It’s their way or death. “How?”
He slowly turns toward me, his eyes shimmering, the pupils turning to slits. His skin ripples, and my eyes widen, my breath catching, when I find myself looking into the eyes of his beast—a fucking dragon.
Awe bubbles up in my chest, quickly followed by a raw dose of terror.
I’m royally fucked.
There is no way I’ll be able to take on a dragon and survive.
“Oh, shit,” the men swear in the back seat, the tension in the car palpable. It wouldn’t surprise me if they opened the door and bailed from the moving vehicle.
I’m tempted to do it myself.
Unfortunately, it won’t solve any of my issues.
“How?” I ask hoarsely, my throat too tight to speak above a whisper. “Your kind has been extinct for close to a millennium.”
Many of them were killed in the war to stop the council from taking over. How was he able to survive? Or more importantly, how was the council able to tame him? My eyes drop to his neck—his bare fucking neck—and I gulp.
