Chapter Sixteen
The town of Henley, a hidden gem, was surrounded by the rolling hills of the great Smokey Mountains. Tucked away from society, the clean and well-kept town had the weight of age on it. Specialty stores lined both sides of Main Street, a mile-long stretch of road that ran through the center of town. The town advertised a coffee shop, bookstore, small theater, and an assortment of other stores. They even had a shop for formal wear, which seemed out of place to Evie.
The shop, Special Occasions, was the first place Max wanted to visit. Evie rode with him and Caleb to the town in one of the school’s golf carts. This one was more sedate than the two previous ones, painted a uniform solid black with no other markings.
The Shadewolf team planned to meet them in town sometime later on.
Evie hoped to hit up Dark Brew, the coffee store next door, but Max didn’t even glance at it. With his destination in mind, nothing Evie or Caleb said would sway him. The store’s brick exterior was part of a small strip mall, five shops in total. The bookstore and coffee shop anchored each end with a thrift store and an antique store bracketing the formal shop at the center.
A bell chimed as they walked through the front door, and the clerk glanced up from her perch behind the counter to greet them. Immediately, the opulent gowns hanging in the center of the store drew Evie’s attention. Tuxedos and suits were displayed in a separate section closer to the cashier, and a section for children’s formal wear was on the opposite side.
The guys didn’t stop at the men’s area. Instead, they headed toward the back of the store, behind a black curtain Evie hadn’t noticed. Walking closer, she realized it wasn’t a curtain at all. It was a cloak. A twenty foot tall grim reaper hung suspended from the ceiling at the back of the store, his cloak strategically attached to the wall to form an opening into a back room. A scythe reached up from the ground into the grim reaper’s hand positioned above the doorway. It held a sign saying, Beware All Who Enter, Not All Will Exit.
“Why are we here, guys?” Evie finally asked, perplexed as she bypassed the cloak, only to come up short. In the back of the store, hidden away, was a section devoted to costumes. Rows and rows of costumes made from polyester, silk, and cotton hung in organized racks. Witches and warlocks, every known superhero, even old Victorian costumes; the shop had it all.
“We wanted to get our costumes for the Halloween Ball before the rush.” Max explained while Caleb reluctantly rifled through the different selections. “Otherwise, this place will be emptied out in a few weeks, and we’ll have to go into the city.”
Evie shrugged, not understanding what he spoke about.
Max must have noticed her blank expression because he further explained without prompting. “It’s a Suoja Guild tradition. All students and faculty attend. You need to find your costume as well, sweetheart. Something sexy. But not too sexy. We don’t want to spend the night running interference between you and those horny ass human men.”
She huffed and rolled her eyes. Evie never dressed up for Halloween. Her dad didn’t believe in celebrating the holiday. Besides, human men didn’t hold her interest. It seemed she only had eyes for guys who were off-limits.
Unsure what type of costume she wanted, she started to search the racks. She was still looking when the guys found theirs. They left the room, heading to the dressing rooms to try them on, and left Evie on her own. The store became quiet, and she missed the guys immediately.
Determined to find something, she renewed her search. She started closer to the doorway and went rack by rack, discarding all the selections. She ventured farther into the room. There had to be something she could wear.
A swishing noise came from near the entrance. With her back to the door, she assumed one of the guys had returned. Not wanting to slow them down anymore, she continued her hunt.
Warm breath heated the back of her neck, causing her to shiver. She spun, expecting Max to be right behind her, but no one was there. Unnerved, she glanced around the room. She was the only person here. She shrugged it off as her imagination and turned back to paw through the rack again. What should she be? Something traditional, or something unexpected? The choices were endless.
Red and black cloth peeked out from behind a furry animal costume, and she went to her tippy-toes to see it better. A musky scent invaded her nose, making it twitch. Someone with bad body odor must have tried on the costume. Not wanting to be any closer to the noxious scent, she backed up a few feet, only to bump against something hard.
An arm snaked around her waist. A second one reached up, a hand covering her mouth. The stench came from behind her.
“Quiet, bitch. We wouldn’t want your friends to hear.” Her captor jerked her head back to stare into her eyes. Hatred and disgust burned in his. He looked older, mid-thirties perhaps, with a mustache and slicked back, black hair. A long scar ran across his forehead, and a small tattoo of a raven showed at his temple. Evie had never seen this man before. Evie tried to roll her body forward to escape, but the man anticipated her movement, tightening his arm, jerking her back.
Tipping her head to the side, he nuzzled her neck. “I have a message from your dad. He’s been watching you. He didn’t raise you to spread your legs to the first man who showed an interest, let alone a group of fucking animals who aren’t even human.”
Astonishment ran through Evie. Who was he talking about? Max and Caleb? The Shadewolf team? Chills ran up her body at the knowledge her father had spies in the school and was in close contact with them.
“Tell me something? What’s the attraction? Do you like taking it from multiple men at the same time? Is that it? You love dick so much, you whore yourself out the minute you leave your father’s care.” As he rubbed his crotch against her butt, nausea threatened, burning her throat with its acidic taste. Evie struggled harder, trying in vain to loosen his grip. Not making headway, her fear gave way to anger, and she bided her time. “Believe me, what I have in my pants is enough to satisfy any pussy, even one as loose as yours.”
His hand left her waist as he reached up with the intent to grab one of her breasts. Taking a deep breath, Evie lifted her leg up and kicked back, striking him directly in the knee. He howled and released her, clutching his leg. She didn’t hesitate, slamming her knee under his chin, knocking his head back. He fell onto his back, the carpet doing nothing to cushion his fall.
“Don’t ever touch me again, asshole!” Evie whisper-yelled and then stomped her Converse covered foot down onto his crotch, hard. The racks of heavy clothes muffled his agonized shriek; she didn’t think it echoed out of the room. She left him whimpering on the floor like a baby and walked out into the main section of the store to find the dressing rooms Max and Caleb occupied.
Not wanting to alert them to what happened, she called out a simple explanation. “Guys, I’m going next door for a coffee. Meet me there.”
She didn’t wait for them to respond before walking out of the store, desperately in need of the fresh air to clear away the awful stench from her nose.
The cool morning air made Evie grateful she’d wore a hoodie. She paused outside the store to take in her surroundings. She knew the guy inside had to be working with a partner. Her father always preached about no lone missions. She relaxed her pose, leaning against one of the columns that held up the overhanging roof. She casually glanced around, surveying the area for possible threats. While still early, going on eleven in the morning, quite a few people strolled along the streets. Some window shopped; others huddled together, standing around and talking. Nothing or no one stood out.
Evie gave up her perusal and walked to the coffee shop. She would order a mocha and wait for Max and Caleb. As she passed the alley between the two stores, only a few feet from her destination, an arm snaked around her body, halting her progress.
“Whoa there, girl. Where are you off to in such a hurry?” The muscular arm around her waist tightened, pulling her back against a hard body and further into the alley.
Irate for not sensing the trap, she squirmed, trying to break free. She looked down, giving his arm a hard tug and noticed an intricate tattoo on his lower forearm. Her foot left the ground, intending to kick back at the man holding her, but he pulled her off balance and her foot slammed back on the ground. “Please, let me go.”
“Now, don’t be like that. We just want to talk to you.”
She searched around for someone to help her, but no others passed nearby. The alley walls blocked them from being seen from the main street. Evie’s view was abruptly cut off when two more guys moved in front of her; their eyes locked on her captor.
The two guys looked similar in build, tallish with enough muscle tone to hint they worked out a lot. Both in jeans, the one on the left had on a short sleeved blue shirt while the guy on the right was dressed in a sports jersey.
At first, Evie thought they were here to help her, but they quickly disproved that notion. The malice in their gaze was directed at her. These two new guys must be the other part of the “we” the first guy spoke of.
“Let me go,” she spat, wiggling some more.
The arm around her waist was like an iron shackle. Not ready to give up, she grasped his arm with both hands and pulled at it desperately, trying in vain to move it. She sunk her nails deep into his skin, hoping the pain would make him jerk away. Instead, he grabbed her by the throat with his free hand, applying pressure against her windpipe until lack of oxygen forced her to let go.
“Now listen here, slut. Me and my friends want to get to know you better. You’re going to come quietly. If you don’t, well…” Evie felt him shrug, giving her throat a final squeeze in emphasis.
Black dots appeared, clouding her vision. Seconds from passing out, she nodded her assent, and after a moment, the pressure left her throat. Coughing at the sudden intake of cool oxygen rushing to fill up her heaving chest, she lost precious moments.
“Hey, motherfuckers! Let her go!” Joy sang through Evie’s body as she recognized Max’s voice.
Caleb’s deep baritone voice added to the melody, “You heard him, assholes. Let her go and walk away.”
The two guys standing in front of Evie turned to face the alley’s entrance. She couldn’t see around their broad shoulders, but knew Max and Caleb spoke from the other side of them.
“What’s it to you?” the guy holding Evie growled. “You and your fag boyfriend better move along and mind your own business. Otherwise, I’ll let my boys off their leashes.”
Once again, he dragged Evie closer into his body, his arm moving from around her waist to encircle her upper arms and chest.
Evie shuddered with anxiousness as she watched the two guys in front of her step forward, their shoulders tense with anticipation.
“Keep talking asshole. Maybe, someday you’ll say something intelligent. Now, let the girl go. Last chance,” barely concealed fury wove within Caleb’s words, but the three guys were too stupid to pick up on it.
“Like hell. Fuck last chances. They don’t deserve it,” Max snarled, his voice tight with excitement. “Let’s teach these pricks why you shouldn’t put your hands on a girl without her permission.”
“Sorry, man, you know the rules. They’re human,” Caleb reasoned. “We can’t throw the first punch. We can only defend ourselves. And Evie’s not in any real danger from these assholes. We could kill them before they even thought about raising a hand to her.”
“Shit! That’s right. Fucking Dashiel! Always tying our hands, so we can’t have any fucking fun. But, no worries, man, I got this.” Evie heard Max sigh and then laugh. “Hey, motherfucker! Can I borrow your face for a few days while my ass is on vacation?”
The question was met with stunned silence.
Max, never one to stop once started, tried again, “How ‘bout you, stupid. Yes, that’s right. I’m talking to you, now. Oh wait. My bad. I shouldn’t call you stupid. That would be an insult to stupid people.”
The two guys exchanged glances, confused about what to do. The guy behind her moaned dramatically, but he stayed quiet.
Max, on the other hand, didn’t. “Fuck! You two are more useless than rubber lips on a woodpecker!”
Caleb’s laughter echoed around the empty alleyway as he caught on to whatever Max was doing.
“Are you always this stupid, or is today a special occasion?” Not stopping, Max let another insult fly. “Shit. Do you talk, or are you brain dead? Are your parents siblings by chance? Did the mental hospital test too many drugs on you?”
“Your momma is so…” Max began.
“Don’t you talk about our momma!” The guy in the blue shirt finally spoke up. The guy in the jersey nodded vigorously in agreement while cracking his knuckles.
Silence descended on the alleyway for a moment, but then Evie heard Max taunt, “Your momma’s like a postage stamp, you lick her, stick her, and then send her away.”
The two guys in front of Evie roared. In unison, they lurched forward, the one in the blue moving toward Caleb, the other toward Max.
As Evie watched, Blue Shirt threw a punch straight at Caleb’s face, but the other man turned his head to the side at the last second, and the fist barely grazed his shoulder. The guy stumbled and regained his balance, lifting both fists in front of himself once again. Blue Shirt swung out in a second attempt. Caleb dodged and quickly jabbed him in the face. As the guy shook his head and tried to find his balance, Caleb delivered a roundhouse kick, catching the guy directly on the side of the head. Blue Shirt dropped and stayed still.
Evie’s attention turned to Max. Jersey Shirt must have scored a direct hit to his face. A thin trail of blood dripped down his face from a small cut on the corner of his left eyebrow. The guy went in for another hit, but Max swung at him, catching him in the abdomen. As Jersey Shirt straightened, Max’s foot flew up, his heel making direct contact with the guy’s chest. Instantly, the guy hit the cement, and Max went in fast, fists flying, as he repeatedly hit the guy in the face. After a moment, Jersey Shirt stopped moving.
Max and Caleb turned their attention back to the guy who still held Evie. This guy hadn’t said a word the whole time, watching without comment as his friends were knocked out.
“Let her go, man. Your friends are down. You’re alone.” Caleb walked forward another step as he spoke. “You don’t stand a chance.”
The guy behind Evie laughed. “You two should have minded your own business. She would have been fine, we were only trying to scare her a little.”
The man shifted his weight, dragging Evie a step further back.
“You can’t do shit, motherfucker.” Max matched the guy, stride for stride.
“Oh really?” the guy taunted. “Watch me.”
The guys other arm flashed forward, coming from around her left side, and then, without warning, the pressure at her back disappeared.
Not expecting to be released, she fell backward onto the ground. She lay still, trying to make sense of everything. Where did the guy go?
Next thing she knew, Max and Caleb peered down at her, relief evident on both of their faces.
Max kept repeating something, and Evie strained to make it out. “Fucking hell. That fucker teleported. He’s human, and he fucking teleported.”
“W-what?” Confused, Evie sat up. Max realized her intent to keep moving until she fully stood and offered her assistance.
Caleb had walked off a few feet, barking into his phone.
“Max, what’s going on?” Evie demanded, not sure who those guys were. They didn’t look like the soldiers from her father’s camp. Where had he found them?
“We don’t know, sweetie. The human who held you activated a teleportation rune. That shouldn’t be possible. Caleb is calling it in, and a team will look into it.” Max nudged Evie toward the alley’s entrance. “Are you okay?
Evie nodded, brushing off her pants. Two attacks in one day. They had to be connected somehow. “What now? Are you going to try to track down the guy who escaped?”
Max sighed, watching his mate a few feet away. “I’ll walk you to the coffee shop where you can wait for us, sweetheart. You will be safe within its walls while Caleb and I wait here for the team to show up. Then we’ll talk before we meet up with the others.”