Chapter Five
Pia waited patiently for Andrew to show up. Surely he would want to meet her, to resolve matters? But as the days wore on, she realized that he was not planning on contact her. In her desperation, she caved in and tried calling him, but he didn’t answer. She knew he had a pad in Mayfair. Using her journalistic background, she managed to find out his address and turned up unannounced. A kindly looking old lady was cleaning up when she entered.
“Hello,” Pia said uncertainly. “Is Andrew here?”
“Not anymore, I am afraid,” the old lady replied. “He left rather abruptly about a week ago.”
“Oh!” Pia was very disappointed. “Did he say where he was going?”
“No. He didn’t say anything.” The old lady noted Pia’s crestfallen expression. “Were you close?”
“No, not really,” Pia stammered, embarrassed. “Well, thank you for your help.”
So Andrew had just upped and left, she thought bitterly as she walked to the tube. The man, or rather werewolf, she had been planning to spend the rest of her life with had left without so much as a goodbye.
Crushed by what had happened, Pia decided to focus on work. Moping around would not help her. A friend had set up an interview at a tabloid and although she wasn’t overly fond of the work, she needed a job. She aced the interview and was hired. Soon she was trailing footballers and movie stars as they cheated on their wives and girlfriends with hookers and gay lovers. Desperate to get her mind of her problems, she threw herself wholeheartedly into her work, to the delight of her editor.
Thoughts of Andrew were just receding from her mind and she had just returned to a semblance of peace and normalcy when she returned home late one night after an exhausting day. She had collapsed into her bed when she suddenly felt a hand clamping on her mouth.
“If you shout, I will snap your neck,” said a deep voice. Pia froze. Not again, she thought. She had been very careful after being attacked in this very room the first time, taking several security precautions. How had this happened?
Except that the person looking at her wasn’t a normal criminal. She recognized at once the sharp features, the hirsute, muscular body. She was looking at a werewolf.
“I am going to remove my hand,” it said. “Remember, if you make a noise, you will die, quickly and unpleasantly.” He removed his hand and regarded her with a smile. “Let me introduce myself,” he said. “I am Christian.”
“What the fuck are you doing in my apartment?” snapped Pia.
Christian didn’t seemed fazed by the hostility. He laughed. “You certainly have spirit. I can see why Andrew liked you so much.”
Her heart stopped. “Andrew?” she said. “What do you know about Andrew?”
“Well, isn’t this a keen little bitch,” purred a voice, icily. Pia turned to see a tall, blonde woman looking at her sardonically. She was beautiful with a voluptuous figure and cold blue eyes. “Not that I blame her,” the woman added. “He was a great lay.”
Christian growled and the woman quickly said, “But not as good as you, baby.”
Pia was confused. “And who the hell are you?”
“I am Agatha, his former mate.” The woman regarded her scornfully. “To think that he would stoop to mating with a lowly human after he had me.”
Pia was enraged. “I am not lowly, you bitch. And he didn’t stoop to anything.”
The couple seemed amused by her anger. “It is hardly surprising that he would stoop to this level,” said Christian. “After running like a coward, what honor can he have left?”
“Andrew is not a coward,” said Pia hotly. “I don’t know you, but I can tell he has far more honor than you do.”
Suddenly Christian sprang at her. He stared at her with his icy brown eyes, his face inches from hers. “Then let me tell you about myself. I vanquished Andrew. He was the leader of our pack, but obviously unworthy of that high position. I soundly defeated him and he fled, like some abject coward. What do you human say? Discretion is the better part of valor. We werewolves don’t have such beliefs. There is nothing worse than running from a fight. Andrew is lower than the lowest wolf. He is a dog, fit only to mate with humans and spend the rest of his life on the run!”
Christian’s teeth gleamed as he stared at Pia. Agatha came and touched him on the shoulder. “Come, my darling. Calm yourself. We need her alive.”
Christian leaned back. “Being with a pussy like Andrew has clearly taught you not to treat werewolves with the proper respect. Don’t worry, once I have finished with him, I will make sure that you get a good education on the way to behave around us.”
“Andrew is not a pussy,” said Pia. “In any case, we are no longer together. He left me some time ago.”
“Oh, you poor dear, is that why you look so sad?” Agatha looked at her pityingly. “Well, I have some good news for you. He hasn’t just fucked you, you know. You have become his mate.”
Pia was confused. “What does that mean?”
“He has imprinted himself on you,” said Christian. “That is why we need you. We are going to use you as bait.”
“Imprinted? You’re wrong. He left without saying goodbye. He wants nothing to do with me.”
“Oh my dear, if only that were true.” Christian looked at her with gloating pity. “In that case, you would have been able to lead a long life instead of having it abruptly extinguished.”
Pia swallowed. Christian’s casual tone as he threatened to kill her clearly showed his cold-blooded nature. She had no doubt that she was dealing with a psychopathic killer. “I don’t understand,” she said, trying to gather her thoughts. “How will he even know that you have me?”
“Oh, don’t worry.” Agatha smiled icily. “He’ll know.”
The pair kept a close watch on her as dawn broke. As the day wore on, they took turns watching her, only letting her get up to eat and occasionally use the bathroom. They didn’t bother tying her up, confident in their ability to silence her if she posed a problem.
As night drew, Christian said, “Well, I guess we were wrong. He clearly believes she is expendable. We should have known better – a coward like him would never risk his life to save his mate.”
“What are you going to do to her?” asked Agatha.
He shrugged. “Well, she is a comely creature. Let us have some fun with her first before finishing her off.” He looked at Agatha. “Would you like to go first?”
Agatha ran her tongue over her lips. “Don’t mind if I do.”
She was reaching for Pia when suddenly the door was smashed open and a dark figure bounded into the room. Agatha turned towards him and snarled, but before Christian could react, the figure had run up to him and hit him hard in the throat. Christian fell back and as the figure turned, PIa realized with joy that it was Andrew.
With a howl of rage, Agatha launched herself at him, sinking her nails into his body. Andrew managed to grab her throat and keep her bared teeth away from himself. Pushing her back, he kicked her powerfully, sending her crashing across the room. But he had turned his back to Christian too soon. Leaping upon him, he sank his long teeth into his shoulder.
Andrew cried out in pain. Christian prepared to bite into his neck, but at the last minute. Andrew succeeded in getting a grip on him and throw him over his shoulder.
“So you have finally decided to show yourself, coward.” Christian’s face was twisted in anger as he rose slowly to his feet.
“You beat me once, but we both know it wasn’t a fair fight,” Andrew snapped, wiping the blood from his shoulder.
“Still making excuses, like a fucking coward.” Agatha’s voice was shrill and angry.
Andrew looked at her. “Wasn’t it you, my supposedly loyal mate, who poisoned my drink and made me weak? I don’t need lectures in cowardice from a cheat and a whore.”
“Kill him!” shrieked Agatha. “Kill him now.”
Christian launched himself at him and the two traded powerful blows as they wrestled across the room. Pia watched helplessly, knowing she was powerless to help. At last it looked as if Andrew was getting the upper hand, holding Christian by the throat as he struck him powerfully across the face. Realizing that her lover was losing, Agatha desperately took the poker from the fireplace and, sneaking behind Andrew, hit him hard on the head. He was shaken and loosened his grip on Christian who took advantage and kicked him in the stomach.
Pia realized that if she didn’t do something, Andrew would die. Picking up a vase, she hurled it with all her strength at Agatha, hitting her on the side of the head. She crumpled unconscious to the floor and Andrew used the distraction to fell Christian with a strong upper cut.
As Christian lay semi-conscious on the floor, Andrew rushed to Pia. “Come on, we have to get out of here,” he said. Taking her hand, he led her out of the flat and down to his car. Quickly putting her in, he accelerated the Porsche away.