Page 40 of Deadly Little Games
Crispin rolled down his window in front of us, letting in more greenery-scented air. “This is glorious. Why do we never come here?”
Elena slouched down in her seat with her arms crossed. “Because it’s swarming with werewolves. They’ll never let us through once we reach the border.”
There was a chance she was right, though I didn’t say so out loud. Werewolves weren’t from the far realms. They didn’t live behind a boundary, but they did have aterritory. One they protected at all costs. The Willowthorn pack watched overWillowvale—aptly named after the long lineage of werewolves. I had an open invitation. Elves, goblins, and devils did not.
“Turn here,” I instructed.
Crispin slowed the car, then turned right onto a narrow paved road leading up into the mountains. So far we had driven through mostly open countryside, but as we crept up the windy road, the trees started closing in around us. They had a different feel than the ones in Emerald Heights, the dark patches beneath them seeming more eerie and foreboding.
I could sense Gabriel’s tension, and Elena’s for that matter. While the different factions in the city had their alliances, the wolves answered to no one. Willowvale was a dangerous place to venture without invitation.
The car came to a stop as we reached a closed metal gate with a heavy padlock. Crispin glanced back at me. “What now?”
“Just wait.”
It didn’t take long for the wolves to appear. Two of them were in human form, and three more were full wolf, not just wolfman or wolfwoman.
Ringo scurried back into my bag as I instructed Gabriel to roll down the window the rest of the way. Crispin wisely rolled his up. The werewolves wouldn’t react well if they saw a strange elf before they saw me.
I grinned as they came closer, recognizing Warrick, Braxton’s cousin.
Noticing me, he met my smile with one of his own. He was just as tall as Braxton, though a little less bulky, with the same curly brown hair. Without a shirt, his deeply tanned skin was on display for all to see.
He leaned down toward the window, ignoring Gabriel. “Eva, it’s about time you got out here.”
“Been busy,” I explained. “Did Braxton tell you I was coming?”
He nodded, finally taking a moment to observe my company. “He didn’t say you’d be bringing guests though. Might be an issue.”
The other werewolf in human form approached. She was tall, in her late 50s, her long black hair streaked with silver. She wore a black tank top and jeans, along with a knife at her belt, which was kind of funny considering she could sprout claws at will. Her gray eyes lingered on Gabriel, likely deeming him the greatest threat. Monica was always all business. When I was younger, I thought she didn’t like me, then eventually I realized that was just how she acted toward everyone. I knew she had some scars from her past, but I had never made it my business to ask about them.
I debated my response. Would it be the worst thing to make them wait for me beyond the border? There was a small town not far. They could just go get a meal—although it was laughable picturing Gabriel, Sebastian, and the elves sitting down together for a nice late lunch.
Before I could lean one way or another, Monica shook her head. “Theresa trusts Eva.” She leaned forward, making steady eye contact with me as she tilted her head. “And Eva would not bring anyone here to hurt us?” A veiled threat was evident in her tone.
“You know I wouldn’t,” I said evenly.
She studied me for a moment longer, then finally nodded, stepping back. “Let them through.”
I didn’t immediately see who she was speaking to until another male werewolf in human form approached the padlock on the gates with a set of keys. More full wolves had edged in from the woods, watching us unblinking.
Warrick flashed me a smile. “Don’t go running off too quickly. You owe me a beer.”
I smiled back, though I had no intention of lingering. I might be willing to bring my strange group of companions around the wolves so I could get whatever information Braxton’s mom, Theresa, had for me, but I wasn’t going to leave them unattended around the werewolves. Someone would end up dead, or at least horribly injured. I was sure of it.
The gate opened, and I gave Warrick and Monica a wave as we drove through. Once Gabriel rolled up the window, everyone seemed to heave a collective sigh of relief. Well, everyone but Sebastian. He still seemed perfectly content with himself, which made me suspicious.
“This is not a good idea,” Gabriel muttered as Crispin drove us further up into the mountains. “The fairies could still follow you here.”
I put my hand on his arm without thinking, but a little spark of magic had me withdrawing it. Sebastian looked over at me knowingly.
I stuck my tongue out at him.
I instructed Crispin down several narrow dirt roads, knowing that Theresa would still be at work at the small local tavern. She didn’t have to work—Braxton would have paid her expenses if she asked—but she liked it. It kept her social. Even amongst a tight community like the wolves, it was still possible to get cut too far adrift, like she had in the city.
She’d moved there with Braxton when he was young, wanting him to grow up with culture and opportunities. If she would have known he’d end up a mercenary, she probably would have kept him hidden away in Willowvale. It was hard to imagine how different he could have been had that occurred.
Of course, I might not even be alive right now if that had been the case. There had been no one else stepping forward to take me in after my dad died, only Theresa. I owed her my life, and so much more.