Raven

Chapter 3

I’ve got no earthly idea what this man just said, but the sound of his voice makes me shudder and swoon at the same time.

"I...I didn't do anything to the shifter, Reid." The first man, who I now believe is named Matteo, stutters out while holding his hands up in a non-threatening manner. That means the hot guy’s name must be Reid.

Oh god…please tell me I did not just refer to a werewolf as hot.

"Did I not just make myself clear enough? Get the f**k out of this bathroom before I make you,” Reid seethes with such assertion that I cringe a little, pressing myself as far against the wall as I possibly can. Matteo wises up and shimmies his way past a fuming Reid, ensuring that he doesn't make any physical contact with him at all. Reid watches him the entire time as he slowly exits the room, a look that could kill glued to his face. As soon as Matteo exits the bathroom, Reid shuts the door. His left hand lingers on the doorknob.

"Idiota del cazzo," he mutters under his breath. That dark, enticing voice fills the confines of these walls as I stand here in this dingy bathroom like an i***t. I’m trying to decipher what just happened. These two werewolves clearly know each other. As far as I can tell, they aren't just Americans. Their English is perfect, but Reid fluently spoke a foreign language that I believe is Italian.

Are they some type of hybrid American/Italian pack? Who are these people?

My thoughts are interrupted as Reid turns back around to face me, his tattooed muscular arms folded across his chest as we lock eyes for the first time. He’s also staring at me with a puzzled look, but it’s somehow different. I don't feel nearly as uncomfortable with him staring at me intently as I did Matteo. His black eyes bore into mine like he thinks they hold endless mysteries of the cosmos; as if simply looking at me will give him the answer to life.

I'm not sure how long we stand here for; staring at one another without exchanging any words, stewing in silence. But, the reality of the situation slowly starts to pull me out of my trance. I'm standing mere feet away from a werewolf. The one other creature I was specifically told not to interact with. This is a serious situation and I could potentially lose my life by being this stupid. I quickly clear my throat and snap back to reality.

"If…if you are expecting me to go down without a fight, you are sorely mistaken," I demand in a failed assertive tone. I don't want to let him know how scared I actually am, but he can probably hear my quick heartbeat anyways. He raises an eyebrow before looking me up and down very slowly from head to toe, stopping at my chest. I leer at him and bite my tongue, strategically crossing my forearms over my breasts in an attempt to cover them from his wandering eyes. His eyes flit back up to mine and he snickers at me with a cocky grin.

"Sorry to disappoint, dolcezza. You aren't my target for the evening and you're not exactly my type,” he chides. “You know, being that you are an entitled shifter and all.” I ignore his snide remark and idiotically decide to press onward with my line of questioning as if I’m a regular Sherlock f*****g Holmes. Like interrogating werewolves is something I find myself regularly doing.

"Why are you so close to my territory, mutt?" I raise my voice. He brings his hand up to his chin and begins stroking it while gazing up at the ceiling, trying to make it seem as if he is sarcastically pondering over my inquiry.

"You know what the beauty of being in a neutral zone is? It's that I don't have to tell you why I'm here or who I am," he shrugs with indifference. "I don't have to disclose that information to you no matter where I am, actually. You're not combative by nature, so it's not like it’d turn into a fight."

"I could just kill you right now, then I guess your answer won’t matter.” I angrily leer at him. His cockiness is causing my patience to wear thin, but I know I'm probably playing with fire. I don't actually believe I have the ability to kill him. Not that he has knowledge of that. For all he knows, I could be a bona fide badass that does s**t like this for a living. Unfortunately, he doesn’t buy my falsified badass persona any more than I do.

"I think it's safe to say you've never killed anyone before. Murder isn’t exactly the way your kind likes to solve problems, you prefer them to just disappear,” he jabs. He begins to take a few cautious steps towards me and the fighting instinct inside my body kicks into overdrive. I don't want this man anywhere near me.

I abruptly keel over and my feminine figure is quickly splitting apart as I shift into my Rottweiler form. My clothes tear into shreds and my body pulls in different directions. My arms and legs become covered in black and tan fur, my torso expands and my rib cage elongates. Bones in every section of my body snap and rearrange until I am on all fours. My mouth elongates and forms into a muzzle lined with sharp canines and teeth. In less than ten seconds, I stand before him as a 115 pound Rottweiler and let out a threatening snarl in his direction, baring my teeth. He nods his head in an appreciative fashion before backing up a few steps, his hands extended outward in an effort to show that he isn't going to touch me. He stops his backwards shuffle and drops his hands back down to his sides, sighing with annoyance.

"Well, you shift quicker than most wolves I know, but trust me amore, I'm not someone you want to threaten. It won't end well for you," he warns in a much more cold and intimidating voice than before. I ignore his warning and glare at him from the ground, still growling and baring my teeth. At this point, I've already shifted and there is no turning back. I doubt that he is going to just let me walk out of this bathroom without consequence since I have essentially threatened him, so I might as well stand my ground and be prepared to fight. But honestly, I’m extremely surprised that he hasn't tried to attack me yet. Since I've never actually met a werewolf up close and personal, I'm operating solely based off what Zander has told all of us. He said werewolves are supposed to be bound by anger, extremely impulsive with a vendetta against shifters and ruthless in the worst possible sense. They are easy to anger, but not so easy to take down. They are all supposed to be like Matteo.

Reid, however, seems to be a bit of an anomaly. He isn't flying off the handle like his nature dictates that he should when he is threatened. He’s just observing me, watching every move I make with calculated responses, ensuring that he doesn't get too close. But the smart part of myself is screaming that he could easily be trying to placate me so I don't panic. Just like Matteo initially did at the bar.

I shake my head and glance over in the direction of the door which is now slightly cracked open, and I know that I've got to make my move and get out of here. Maybe Reid is less temperamental than your average werewolf, but I have no idea how many other wolves are masking their scent in this bar. Zander specifically stated that there was an influx of wolf activity in the area, so maybe this entire thing is a set up for Tessa and me. After all, he and Matteo know each other, and Matteo somehow recognizes me. I could instantly tell that Matteo isn't a good person, so it would stand to reason that Reid isn't a good guy either. He could be acting even-tempered so that I let my guard down enough for the rest of his pack to attack me without much of a fight. They could already have Tessa.

I gradually inch my way towards the bathroom door one paw at a time, teeth still bared. The entire time I am moving in the direction of my salvation, Reid slowly sidesteps out of my path, his eyes never leaving my face. Once I reach the opening at the door, we have flipped positions but he still makes no move to attack me. I nudge the door open just enough so I can fit through once I shift again. I quickly transform once more, but this time I chose my raven form. My fur converts into black glossed feathers, and my once sharp canines become a pointed beak. The shift between my Rottweiler form and raven form happens even more quickly than my first shift, and it is complete in a few seconds.

Reid's eyes widen in disbelief and his mouth hangs slightly agape. He probably wasn't expecting me to shift again so quickly, or maybe he just hasn’t see a shifter up close like this. I’ve heard that werewolf shifts aren’t nearly as fluid, especially if they do it out of anger.

"Chi sei, uccellino nero?" he muses while gawking at me, a mixture of interest and confusion clouding his face. I have no idea what he just said, but I definitely don't intend on sticking around to find out. I need to find Tessa and we've got to get the hell out of here. Now.

I cautiously turn my back to him and step my talons outside the door before spreading my wings and taking flight in the direction of the dance floor. I soar above everyone as I scan the crowd for Tessa's drunken silhouette. The music blares and booms through my avian eardrums, so concentration is proving to be somewhat difficult right now. I finally spot a tuft of blonde hair that is lip-locked with some random guy sporting a dirty blonde bowl cut. I flutter in the air with relief to find that she hasn't disappeared or been taken by a group of werewolves. Now I just need to get her attention in the one way that I know she'll notice.

I swoop down towards the crowd of people and land right on top of the guy’s head she is making out with, furiously pulling and pecking at his hair. I really don't want to physically interact with this guy, but desperate times call for desperate measures as I yank little clumps from his head with my talons and beak. The thin strands drift and sway through the damp, carbon rich air.

"W-what the f**k? What the hell is that!" the subject of my attack begins screaming as he pulls his face away from Tessa's, flailing his arms around his head. People direct their attention over to see a random bird attacking some drunk guy, fine threads of hair flying around in the flashing lights. If I was an innocent bystander watching this entire scenario unfold, I'd probably be wondering if I was on acid.

Tessa takes one dumbfounded look at me with wide eyes before turning towards the exit. She shoves her way through the thick crowd of people and towards the door. I back off my attack and fly forward, making a b-line straight at the open door. I soar just over the top of everyone's heads and dart right out the entryway into the night. People exclaim a long string of confused comments ranging from what the hell...was that a bird? to man, I am way more wasted than I thought I was.

I flap my wings furiously, heading on a direct path to the woods. There is a Noctis safe house about six miles inland, so that is where Tessa and I need to go. It would take entirely too long to fly back home this late at night and getting an Uber would only mean waiting outside of the venue, opening up the possibility of being attacked by the wolves who are still here. I glance back over my shoulder to see Tessa shoving her way out of a crowd of irritated bystanders. She finally breaks free of the assembly of people gathered outside and books it at full speed in my direction. I don't see anyone following her, but that doesn't mean that they aren't watching or waiting for us somewhere.

I have no earthly idea who the two werewolves are that I saw tonight, but it is clear to me that I need to stay within the inner confines of Noctis territory for my own safety. Reid said that I wasn't his target for the evening, but that means nothing to me. He could have easily been bullshitting me and my threat against him might have just bumped me up in the rankings on his kill list.

I need to stay away from that tall, dark, handsome and tattooed figure.

I have to steer clear of Reid.