Raven

Chapter 5

"The landlord for the building sent us to check on the plumbing in your unit." The man with the long brown hair is the first to speak, his gaze never leaving mine. The massive smile occupying my expression is starting to make my cheeks hurt, but I can’t let up on my acting skills just yet.

"Oh, that's right! I remember Mr. Patel telling me about that. Sorry, I must have spaced out since it's so early. Come on in," I speak in an overly nice and apologetic tone, motioning for him to follow me. "The kitchen is actually where we are having the main issues. What was your name again?" The men both give each other a side glance and the blonde one nods his head.

"My name is Jake. I'll come with you while John here checks out the front faucets," he answers. I nod my head and begin walking back towards the kitchen with the brunette guy in tow right behind me. I focus all of my energy on heightening my senses to see if I can detect any more than these two wolves in the area while my heels softly click down the hallway. I can't sense anyone else outside of the building which is a good sign. The Alpha of their pack probably didn't think they would need more than two of them to take me down since I am a lowly shifter. They are showing up here posing as plumbers in order to pacify me into a false sense of security so I am easier to eliminate, but they are dead wrong.

I will fight these assholes with every fiber of my being and I will go down swinging even if it's the last thing I do. They’re either planning on killing me in this building or taking me hostage, and I have no intention of being taken as a captive by werewolves again. I would rather die. If I'm going to get out of this place alive, I've got to make my move quick and escape.

We round the corner into the black tiled kitchen and brush past the round, wooden 4 person table with green cloth covered chairs. I bend down in front of the sink and open up the cabinets, trying to make it look as if I am assessing the 'plumbing issue' myself. I turn back around to face Jake and flash him a flirty smile.

"This pipe right here keeps leaking and I don't know why. Can you just take a look at it for me?" I innocently ask. He grunts before walking over to the sink and crouching down, sticking his head underneath in the cabinet. I don't even know why he is humoring my request in the first place, maybe he’s waiting for final direction or on hold until he gets a signal. Either way, this is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for. My eyes quickly flicker over to the counter top and I see my salvation; a sturdy, stainless steel toaster sits atop the green Formica.

I've only got one shot at this, so I'd better do it right.

I take full advantage of Jake’s current distraction and slide my left hand across the counter. My fingers wiggle into the openings where you would feed bread into it to be toasted and they grip the coils tightly. He turns his head to look at me and I wind back, sending the toaster crashing into his right temple as hard as I possibly can. Shockingly enough, it instantly knocks him out and his body drops to the floor. A tiny stream of blood trickles down his forehead and onto the tile. As the metallic clang of stainless steel on skull bone rings throughout the office, the anthem of footsteps sprinting towards the kitchen begins.

John is now aware that I have knowledge of who and what they are.

I launch myself across the room and slam the kitchen door shut, twisting the flimsy lock in place just as John reaches the entrance to the kitchen. I back myself away from the door, panting with fear and adrenaline before a few loud booms shake the wooden panel.

"You're going to regret what you did, shifter. I can promise you that," he growls with venom on the other side. His foot rams into the center of the door and I hear the frame beginning to splinter from the stress. My face goes white and I turn back to face Jake who is still unconscious on the floor. There is a small window just to the right of the kitchen sink that I know I can barely squeeze through, and that is my only solution at this point. I won’t have the time to strip off my clothes, shift and be adequately prepared before he breaks into this room. John is furious, and fighting him when he is in this condition will almost certainly mean I'll lose. Werewolves are extremely lethal when driven by anger, and I can practically feel the hatred radiating from the opposite side of the door.

I kick off my heels and throw the window open as the pounding on the door becomes increasingly louder. I shove myself out the opening and drop to the grass outside arms first, catching myself before my face smacks into the ground. I hear the door fly open and smash into the drywall, so I jump up and sprint as hard and fast as I can away from the building. A primal scream comes from the open kitchen window which is quickly fading behind me.

John will hunt me down. There’s no way he will let this go.

I dash through the park and onto the sidewalk which is now littered with people walking to work. I weave in and out through the sporadic clumps of humans as the hard, frantic footsteps of John slam down onto the pavement about 100 feet behind me. Honestly, I don't even know where I am heading at this point because there is nowhere safe for me to go. Apparently even being within the confines of my own territory isn't secure anymore. I’m a decent drive from home and an even further run, so getting back there isn’t realistic. Even if it weren’t, I wouldn’t go back there right now because I could be trailed. I am also too far from any real forests where I can shift freely without running the risk of exposure. I hang a hard right and rocket across the street, cars honking at me and slamming on their brakes in an effort not to run me over. This whole city is crawling with people on every square foot the later in the day that it gets. I cast a glance back over my shoulder and see that John is still hot on my trail.

Why in the hell would I pick this town to open an office out of everywhere that I could've chosen? I should've selected somewhere that bordered next to a wooded area or something. I mean where was the logic in surrounding myself by a sprawling suburban nightmare?

How f*****g stupid am I?

I shove through more and more people crowding the sidewalks, now realizing that I am closing in on the border of my territory. Hopefully the neighboring town is far less populated and I can duck off somewhere to shift. I can turn down the first alleyway that I see, shift into my raven and fly away until I can figure out what in the hell I am going to do and why I've suddenly become a walking target. Within no time, I cross the threshold of Noctis and into the unknown boundaries before me. I honestly don't know who controls what lies beyond Noctis to the north. It could be a neutral zone, it could be someone else's territory. It might even be a doorway to Narnia for all I know. I've got no clue because Zander doesn't feel it’s pertinent information for me to know. I'm supposed to become Alpha in a few short months and I still know as much as everyone else in my cluster, which isn’t much.

Once I’m no longer on Noctis grounds, the amount of people thankfully begins to taper off and thin out dramatically. I take off down a narrow breezeway that opens up into a deserted parking lot, barely even noticing that I skirt by another unknown man casually posted up at the entrance. Off in the distance to the right of the parking lot, I see another sketchy looking alleyway that’s exactly what I have been searching for. I check over my shoulder once again and see John round the breezeway, his hateful gaze locked onto me. I turn back around and run even faster towards the alleyway, my legs and lungs burning from the strain. I grab onto the bottom of my shirt and strip it off, tossing it to the side without a second thought. If I am going to shift into my raven form, I need to have absolutely no clothing on my person that will hinder my ability to take flight. I dart into the entrance of the narrow brick passage while fumbling with the clasp on my bra. I come to a sudden, screeching halt when a familiar face materializes directly in front of me. Towering over me a few feet away is the tall, dark eyed, tattooed being that seems to have a knack for showing up when things are going horribly wrong in my life.

Reid.

We lock eyes and he stares at me with intensity, arms protectively folded across the navy cloth on his muscular chest. His face now houses neatly manicured stubble, and the scruffy look definitely suits him. He’s even more attractive to me in the daylight than he was before. I am in stark contrast as I stand here dripping with sweat and shitless, attempting to catch my breath. Not only do I look like hell in comparison to him, I am also extremely confused as to why he is even here right now. Then, it dawns on me.

This is his doing. He’s the one who sent John and Jake after me. He was banking on them corralling me in this direction, and I gave him just what he wanted.

The sound of heavy breathing and footsteps distract me for a moment as John closes in on our location. I instinctively swivel my body to the side, rapidly glancing back and forth between Reid and John. As soon as John reaches the entrance to the alleyway, I stare him down with fear in my eyes, my pulse throbbing loudly in my ears. Out of nowhere, I feel a strong hand grab onto my left forearm and Reid attempts to shove my body behind his. I immediately panic from his touch and retract my arm from his grasp. I ball up my fist and wind my arm back, landing a hard jab right across his cheek. He takes a deep breath and sighs before turning to face me with irritation painted on his face. He raises an eyebrow at me while his hand gently massages the side of his newly red scruff. I glower at him in response, silently letting him know that I won't go down willingly. He completely ignores me and turns back around to face John who looks rather dumbfounded by the unfolding series of events.

"You need to step aside and let me take the girl. She belongs to me," John states, the once surprised look on his face fading to one of malice. Reid nods his head, pressing his tongue against his inner cheek.

"Do you know whose territory you’re in?" Reid asks.

"I don't give a s**t who's territory I'm in. I am here for one reason and one reason only,” Jake snaps while jabbing his finger at me, “And that is for the girl.”

"Yeah, I'd rethink that last statement if I were you. Take a good, hard look at your geographical location, then consider what you just said with careful regard," Reid casually states. John glares at him for a moment, chewing on the newly presented information and savoring the thoughts. As if some little light switch kicks on in his brain, his eyes widen and he takes a cautious step backwards.

"I obviously don't want any bad blood with Luna Rossa…just let me take the girl and then I will be on my way. She's a shifter, she means nothing to you." His voice carries much less conviction than before. Meanwhile, I stand behind Reid as my eyes flit back and forth between the two of them. I'm doing nothing but develop a laundry list of questions right now based on the unfolding events. Apparently Reid and John don’t know each other, but who is Luna Rossa? Why does John suddenly look so concerned for his safety?

More importantly, is Reid is protecting me again?

Reid pauses for a moment, pulling his fist up to his mouth as he thinks. “I'm not sure how you think this will go for you, but you know my reputation," Reid states with displeasure. John swallows hard and begins backing up even more, slowly positioning himself to where he is out of the alleyway.

"As I said before, I don’t want to cause any issues. I'll leave, so let's not jump to any stupid decisions." John creeps further and further away, carefully plotting his escape.

"Uninvited guests don't leave my territory alive. You know this,” Reid answers. John panics, rapidly shaking his head.

"It…it wasn't my idea. My Alpha is the one who wants the girl, I’m only following orders," John quickly counters. Reid muses again for a moment before speaking once more.

"Who’s your Alpha?" Reid asks, but John doesn't say a word. He just stands there and tries to strategically prep himself for whatever happens next. Reid huffs at his silence, casually shrugging before speaking. “Silence is il bacio della morte."

The color drains from John’s face and he breathes heavily. A formidable grin creeps across Reid's face and he places his right hand on his back pocket. He’s calm and poised, as if he’s been waiting for this moment for quite some time. John doesn't waste another second before he whips around and sprints back in the direction that we initially came from. Reid grunts to himself with that ominous smirk still dancing across his lips before producing an interesting looking throwing knife. It’s got a sleek silver blade, matte black handle and a massive emerald at the base. The gem almost seems to lightly glow with the anticipation of a kill. It is something so unique that I am positive there is nothing else like it. This weird aura of energy surrounding it seems to be pulsating and emitting its own gravitational pull; like it has a life of its own.

Reid chucks it down the alleyway and impales John right in the back of the neck. He drops to the ground with a thud, death instantly embracing him. Reid casually exhales, straightening himself out as his gaze shifts from John’s corpse and back to me. I'm so transfixed on the dead body lying before me that I hardly notice Reid standing close. I've never seen someone die and I haven't seen a dead body either. My mouth hangs slightly agape, my eyes wide with shock and fear. I just witnessed a murder right before my eyes and it is clear that Reid thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. Now that the distraction of John has been eliminated, what does this mean for me?

He specifically said uninvited guests don't leave his territory alive and I sure as s**t am not an invited guest.

Will I be next?