Chapter 9: Neeve

"Hell of a shit!" I said out loud as soon as I woke up, before putting my hands over my mouth.

But shut up, Neeve!

My voice caught the attention of the two men who just threw a guy in the cell next to ours. My gaze falls on this new prisoner. He took a lot, poor thing. However, what looks like a smile appears on his swollen features, while his eyes are anchored in those of Sixine. I remain subjugated for a moment by what I believe I am witnessing. Their attention to each other seems to materialize in an invisible thread that stretches between them, binding them as time stands still during their mutual contemplation. I feel a heat rising in my chest. What I see fascinates me, pierces me, and even… breaks me. Six is frozen in front of the young man who never takes his eyes off her.

"Who are you?"

I am torn from my thoughts by a deep, dark voice. My eyes lift to the two ebony-skinned, burly men standing outside our cell. I sketch a smile by reflex, then purse my lips, not knowing how to answer this question. Besides, why is he only asking me?

I feel Elinor moving beside me. My saviour!

"Is that it? Are we free?" she asks, her voice still sleepy.

One of the two men bursts out laughing and nudges his sidekick. Both look alike. Shaved heads, black eyes, handsome. Their dark skin spreads over long, firm, bare arms. They both wear a white T-shirt and blue jeans for one and grey for the other. I guess the thickness of their thighs moulded under the fabric of their pants.

The one who hasn’t spoken to me yet looks at me and sniffs the air, as if breathing me. His head lifts. He closes his eyes.

"Jake’s right," he said hoarsely. "They are not like other wolves. Their smell is..."

"You surprise me!" I say when I get up.

Damn, they’re really big. I’m three heads shorter than them. Though Deep-Voice is a little bigger than Hoarse-Voice. I continue, refusing to be distracted:

"Considering the rotten rags that you have kindly lent us, we’re not likely to smell like roses!"

"You can take them off," Deep-Voice suggests, his pupils widening as they lock into mine.

Hoarse-Voice laughs. Normally, I would have enjoyed this banter, especially since – damn it – these guys are true works of art! But their snide tone annoys me. Because, yeah, I’m in a bad mood. I just woke up in a shabby, damp cell in the middle of who knows where and I’m wearing smelly clothes.

"So? Who are you?" asks Hoarse.

"And you, who are you?" I retort.

"A beta male," Elinor says behind me.

I turn around and look at my friend. She’s shaking a little and has her head tucked between her knees.

"How do you know that, Eli?"

"Eli?" says Deep-Voice.

Shiiiit…

"And you, what’s your name?" asks the other. "Rags?"

I turn around and plant my hands on the bars, which I grip with all my strength, before feeling an excruciating burn under my palms. I pull them off with a grunt. No magic, no magic, no magic. However, I would like to show them that you can’t make fun of me with impunity when I’ve just woken up! I’m so pissed off by this turn of events that I don’t even notice my claws growing. I feel a taste of metal on my tongue. My canines are out, damn it!

"Hey, Rags, don’t get upset. We’re just asking questions."

"Fuck you and your questions! We asked to see the Alpha, not the minions."

Hoarse laughs.

"And what do you want with the Alpha?" Deep asks, not rising to my bait.

Good question…

"It’s none of your business," I said, a little hesitantly.

The two smile when they see this flagrant lack of confidence. I’m a fucking open book… My eyes turn to Sixine, who in these circumstances would be the ablest to defend our case since Elinor seems to be in trouble. Except that Six is still hypnotized by the guy with the handsome, busted face. OKAY…

"Okay, that’s enough," thunders Hoarse, putting on gloves. "You, the girl with white hair who made a strong impression, you will follow us. Get up!"

I pale and block my body in front of Elinor when they haven’t even entered the cell yet.

"If you touch her, I’ll rip your balls off with my fangs!" I yelled.

I’m crazy. What is wrong with me? I feel Elinor fidgeting behind me as our two jailers laugh out loud. I turn around and see my friend’s head banging against the wall behind her. She opens her mouth and a whitish foam gushes out. Her canines point and retract, as do her claws. Then she starts scratching her face. I throw myself on her to keep her arms outstretched.

"Eli’s fucked up!" I shouted. "Six, Six! Come and help me."

But by the time Six reacts, one of the two guys has already intervened. Whore!

"What’s wrong with your girlfriend?" Deep asks.

I ignore his question. Elinor is shaking like a leaf. She’s having a withdrawal crisis. It’s not the first time, except in wolf mode, it’s still super impressive.

"Neeve…Neeve…Neeve…" she repeats.

"Oh, so you’re Neeve, aren’t you?"

Shit again… Damn, how bad are we to preserve our anonymity! Suddenly, I remember that our surnames are very well-known in the region. Elinor’s father is the leader of the coven in North Carolina, and Sixine’s uncle is the one in Virginia. The Mona, Shadwe, and Foris families are ancient, so wolves and vampires cannot ignore their existence. They must not learn our surnames, under any pretext. Seeing that Elinor seems to have pretty much calmed down and that Six is now with her – while keeping an eye on the handsome guy next door, I get up and face the two body-builders who make me want to slap them so much with their mocking smiles.

"I’m Neeve Wild. She is Sixine Fog, and this is Elinor Night…"

Yeah, that just came to me. Class or what?

"… We are wolves from the North."

"Which north?"

"The North. Beyond the wall."

"Did you think this is Game Of Thrones?"

Shit, he knows.

"In Canada!"

"Which pack?"

I swallowed a little.

"The pack of… Maple."

It’s so bad that I want to cry.

"Maple?" repeats Hoarse. "In Canada?"

"Yeah."

I’m sinking… Neeve…you were never the mastermind of the trio… it’s true. And Six who is living her crush while Elinor plays a psycho addict. Great, girls, no really, that’s great.

Dark cocks his head. He smiles, revealing captivatingly bright white teeth. Then his gaze turns to Hoarse. The latter nods as if validating a silent remark from his friend. His lips curve in turn, and then both observe me with a lustful gaze. I wish I could say that this attention leaves me cold, but damn, it’s quite the opposite. The blush rises to my cheeks, my stomach tenses, my chest tingles, my brain ignites and my heart skips a beat. I run my hand through my tangled hair, embarrassed by their obvious interest.

"Do you have anyone up north, Neeve?" Hoarse whisper.

OK, so it’s not my imagination. Is he flirting?

"No."

Of course, I responded tit for tat. For what? The question arises… or not.

"Anyway, you would feel if she’d been marked, Emmitt," Dark said.

"I know, Tyler. I’m trying to make conversation here," whispers the one I now know is Emmitt.

This time, I’m entitled to two carnivorous smiles that set me on fire. If they were handsome before, with their miles of muscular arms, now they are to die for.

"But now’s not the time to dwell on her," Tyler says.

Emmitt pulls out a bunch of rusty old keys and is about to slip one of them into the lock of our dungeon. His hands are gloved to avoid touching the bars. Well seen. The blood that was bubbling earlier in my veins suddenly leaks from my face. I understand from his look his intention to seize Eli. I place myself in front of her again, as the tall black man, as prodigious as he is attractive, enters the cell.

"Sorry, Rags," Emmitt says, "we’re not taking you."

I glare at him and pull out my claws. It tingles my fingertips, but it’s instinctive. Eli’s spell is impressively effective.

"Hey, take it easy, Neeve," Tyler whispers to me, stepping a little too close.

Emmitt slips behind him, then faces me, towering over me as well. The two lean over my head and sniff me.

"I like your smell, Rags," Emmitt whispers in my ear.

I flare up, but I stay planted in front of Eli, who gasps behind me. She must have understood what was going on. Six finally seems to emerge from her torpor.

"Leave Neeve alone!"

She is standing, all claws and fangs out. Except it’s not me they want. The two men don’t even turn to Six, letting their gaze still wander over me. Then Tyler pulls off his gloves, puts his hands on my shoulders, and pushes me out of his way. His touch causes an electric shock in me that paralyzes me. I almost gasp as I’m pushed to the side without difficulty. The strength of the two men far exceeds mine.

"No!" I shout, as my hand is about to land on Emmitt’s cheek.

With a nimble gesture, he grabs my arm. His fingernails grow and his eyes light up with a golden glow. I get scared. He smiles at me as he shakes his head.

"Come on, Rags. You don’t want me to hurt you, do you?"

"Maybe so," Tyler remarks.

Six pounces on the latter. Her legs wrap around his waist. The guy named Jaxson lets out a cry of rage despite his obvious weakness, while Tyler wriggles out of Six’s embrace with no difficulty. He even propels her through the cell, and my friend’s head hits the cold stone. She faints.

"Six!" I yelled.

"Cowards!" groaned our cellmate.

"Oh, shut up, Jaxson!"

Suddenly, Elinor lets out a terrible cry. She shakes her head and scratches herself again. Blood beaded on her cheeks, on her neck. I rush at her but am held back by Emmitt, who pushes me back unceremoniously. Tyler grabs Elinor’s hand to pull her up.

"Leave her!" I shout.

But my plea goes unheeded. Tyler and Emmitt each grab an arm from Eli and prepare to leave the cell. I don’t know what to do, so I respond to my instincts.

"Take me instead."

They royally don’t care about my request and go through the door.

Then they’re gone, leaving me gasping and worried for my friend. Darkness reappears.