Chapter Five
He woke to the feeling of something wet and cool on his forehead. Was he outside? Was it raining again?
“Come on, Van Gogh, time to wake up now.”
A voice coaxed him from sleep and he found himself staring at a wolf. But not the right wolf.
He tried to sit up and shove the imposter away, but the wolf caught his arms, pinning them easily.
“Careful. Lie still. We just want to talk, that’s all. We aren’t here to hurt you.”
Dara ignored him, using his body as leverage to shove him away. He wasn’t expecting the other man to straddle his thighs, using his weight to hold his legs down.
“Hey, what did I just say? Calm down or you’re going to injure yourself.”
Try as he might, with the wolf pinning his arms and legs, there wasn’t anywhere he could go. He settled for lying back against the mattress.
“That’s better. Can I let go now? I’ve made sure there’s no paint within reach.”
Dara nodded cautiously, relieved when the weight left his arms but unhappy when the wolf still straddled his lower body.
“I’m Seth,” the wolf said. Hadn’t he already said that? “And this is Hunter.”
He nodded to his right and Dara turned his head to see the other shifter. Wait, a bear? He glanced back at Seth. Wolf, definitely. But what was he doing with a bear?
“And this would be the point in polite conversation where you’d tell us your name.”
“Get off me.”
The wolf nodded. “Sure. If you tell us your name and promise you won’t run for the door the second we let you go.”
Dara tensed his legs, trying to get a sense if he could throw the wolf off when the shifter wasn’t expecting it. But he was heavy and near immovable and with Dara’s center of gravity all wonky, he’d never manage it.
“Darius,” he said finally. “And I won’t run.”
He tried to seem meek, not meeting the alpha wolf’s eyes. It worked, Seth climbing off him. Dara sat up, noting as he did that they’d made an attempt to put his room to rights. His bed, which he was lying on, had been turned upright, the mattress slotted back into place. The barricade at the door was gone.
“So, Rapunzel, care to fill in some blanks?”
Blanks didn’t even begin to explain it. He stared at the wolf in bewilderment. The bear was also giving him a look, one that prompted the wolf to roll his eyes. “Come on, locked in a tower? How is Rapunzel not appropriate?”
“I can’t see anyone climbing up that hair,” the bear replied and Dara self-consciously tugged at his short curls.
“Always a critic. Okay. It’s Darius, right?”
Dara nodded slowly. Weren’t wolves and bears arch enemies? How come these two were acting like best friends?
“Here’s the story. Zane and Red Fang attacked my father, our alpha, and my brother two days ago. They almost killed my father, and they took my brother. Lucas is only six, he’s probably scared out of his mind, and we need to find him. Can you help us?”
“Zane’s not here.”
The wolf gave a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair.
“No shit, Sherlock,” he muttered under his breath, sharing a look of exasperation with the bear who took over the questioning.
“When will he be back?”
Darius hesitated before giving an answer. “I don’t know.”
The two alphas shared a look.
“But he will be back, right?” Seth persisted. “Because you were locked in and there isn’t that much food here. Someone must be coming back for you.”
The wolf crouched next to his bed. “Please, Darius. Lucas is just a kid. I can’t imagine how scared he is right now. He probably thinks our Dad is dead and he doesn’t know that we’re coming for him.”
Dara knew how scary it was facing Zane down as a grown man. He couldn’t imagine what it was like to be at his mercy and just a kid. But he had his own kid to think about. And his brother.
“I don’t know when he’ll be back,” he lied. He could see from the look the two shifters exchanged that they didn’t believe him.
“Alright, Michaelangelo, have it your way.”
The wolf got up and paced toward the small window.
“Michaelangelo?” the bear asked
“You know,” the wolf said. “The human who painted the roof of that chapel.”
The bear stared blankly back at him.
“Hunter, seriously. You were raised among humans. How come you haven’t an ounce of human culture? He knows who I’m talking about,” Seth added, nodding to Dara.
Hunter looked to him and Dara gave a small nod.
“Finally, Seth, someone who comprehends your sense of humor.”
“Well, I have to make up for your lack of one somehow.”
Their banter was a thin cover for the anger and fear Dara could feel pouring from them. Seth was from the wolf pack Zane had talked about. But who was Hunter? He was the more powerful of the two, Dara could feel his bear rippling just under the surface, whereas Seth’s wolf was quiet, unmoving. Dormant, like Zane’s. And yet there was something about him, something that made Dara want to move closer, get a better sense of the wolf; who he was, where he came from. He almost shook his head, trying to push the thoughts from his mind. They were both caught in Zane’s web now, getting closer to Seth would just get them both more tangled. And neither of them would ever see their brothers again.
“Seth?”
Hunter nodded toward the door and he and Seth stepped outside, having a hushed conversation next to the stairs. It wasn’t enough to stop Dara hearing what they had to say. They were trying to make a decision between waiting here for Zane’s return or leaving and taking Dara with them. Neither option suited Dara. He needed to put some distance between him and these shifters. Either they left, or he would.
He closed his eyes and listened. The howl of the wind outside in the stairwell told him the door was still open. If he got down and out, he could shift into something faster than two legs, something that might outrun a bear if he had a head start.
Of course, getting past those two was going to be a problem. But he could do it. He sat right at the edge of the bed and sped up his breathing, focusing his mind on Max and his fears. It was easy to bring the tears to his eyes, easy to let the panic take hold, tightening his chest and making it hard to get a deep breath in. When Seth and Hunter walked back in the door, he was in the middle of a full-blown panic attack, gasping and crying and shaking.
“Shit, what’s wrong?” Seth was at his side in an instant.
“I… can’t… breathe.”
The wolf looked to Hunter.
“We can get him up the ladder onto the balcony for some air,” the bear suggested.
“Okay. Can you stand?”
With Seth’s arm under his elbow, he got to his feet, taking ragged breaths. His acting was a little too good, he was making himself dizzy. Hunter went ahead of them.
“I’ll climb the ladder and guide him from the top, you help him up,” Hunter said. The bear was gone a moment later, disappearing up to the top of the ladder.
“Here,” Seth said, guiding him toward the ladder. “Grab onto the sides and climb up. I’ve got your back, I won’t let you fall.”
Dara neatly sidestepped, leaning heavily against the wall.
“I just need a minute,” he said, closing his eyes. Hunter was still at the top of the ladder and Seth was standing between the ladder and Dara. There was no one and nothing blocking the stairs. All he had to do was turn and run. He pushed himself away from the wall and straightened up, meeting Seth’s eyes.
“I’m sorry.” He was. Sorry he couldn’t help Seth find his brother.
He turned and raced down the stairs, hearing a few seconds of delay before Seth started his pursuit, yelling for Hunter. By the time they caught up to him he’d be out the door and shifting. An ocelot would do it. Fast and quick. They’d never catch him.
A wave of dizziness hit as he rounded the stairs, throwing him off balance. He tried to right himself, but his foot slipped, going from under him in slow motion and throwing him forward. No, no. His last thoughts were of Max and the baby as the metal stairs rose up to meet him.