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Scene #82
Somehow he didn't think they were trying to catch him, not yet
anyway. They were toying with him, taunting him, and as he heard a
sound to his right and veered left he wondered if they were herding
him. He sucked in a breath and pushed himself harder, he'd always
been a great distance runner and there was no way those big guys
could keep this up for as long as him. They had to give up
eventually. He couldn't be worth too much effort, no matter how
much hatred they held for him. Sweat dripped into his eyes and
he swiped at it with a shaking hand. Something dark flashed across
his path and he hesitated. The sound of continued pursuit from
behind was enough to convince him that forward was his best option.
If there was an animal out here more dangerous than the men
following him hopefully it would be after the biggest meal, which
was definitely not Jacob. He felt them closing in behind him
and he couldn't figure out how that was possible. Never in his
life had a hateful jock been able to catch him, it was how he'd
survived High School. But these three were definitely catching up
and again he wondered if they had been playing with him all along,
letting him get farther from town where, perhaps, his screams of
agony would not be heard. His mind buzzed as it tried to make
sense of their actions. His body pulsed with blinding fear of what
could happen. His feet forgot how to avoid disaster and he fell.
Instantly he heard them snicker close behind him. He rolled
and shuffled back on all fours as he stared up into three hate
filled faces. Jacob's chest rose and fell in quick succession as
he tried to catch his breath and calm his nerves. “How
delightful you are to give us such a chase.” The red haired one
said, not even a hint of labor to his breathing. None of them
were breathing hard, or sweating. Jacob licked sweat off of his
lips and tried to seem as calm as they were. He would bluff his
way out of this. He jumped to his feet, they looked surprised by
his action, but not intimidated. Jacob took a step back, as if to
get better footing, and succeeded in distancing himself just a
little bit more. “I hope you enjoyed it because I am done
running, now I will stand and fight.” They laughed low and
dark, their black eyes narrowing in identical looks of pure menace.
“You offended my sister, Tsarina. She offered you a gift of
herself and you told her you were not interested in her particular
brand of pleasure.” The red haired one spoke and Jacob wracked his
mind for this sister he spoke of. Then he remembered, two,
maybe three weeks ago a red haired woman had entered the bar and
propositioned him. Jacob was sure he had been polite in his
refusal, the woman had been persistent though and Jacob finally had
to become firm with her. She'd left in a huff, but that wasn't his
fault, the woman wouldn't take no for an answer. Jacob tried to
remember what she had looked like but couldn't picture her. Red
hair he thought, but beyond that he wasn't sure. “I apologize
if I offended your sister but-” “No need to apologize, Tsarina
is a bitch.” The words were spoken from behind him. Jacob spun
around quickly and found the most gorgeous man he had ever seen.
He was average height, probably no taller than Jacob's six feet,
short golden brown hair and tanned skin. He had the same black
eyes as the others and Jacob stepped back, afraid he was now
surrounded by them. His back came up against a hard chest and he
looked up into black eyes in a friendly face that did nothing to
tame Jacob's wild heartbeat. “I should have known you would be
sniffing around here, Samuel.” The red haired one spoke with
disdain and Jacob was relieved to find the two were not in this
together. Perhaps he would find an ally with this Samuel or at
least a distraction so he could run away. Jacob's gaze swept the
surrounding woods and found moving shadows everywhere, like the one
that had crossed his path while running. What were they and
could he outrun them? “Oh, Michael, my dear friend, did you
really think we did not know this one was here? We were simply
waiting for the right time to pluck him. As your sister probably
told you. That time is near. The next full moon I do believe, by
the scent of him.” Jacob looked from Samuel's calm face to
Michael's increasingly irate one. He didn't understand what was
going on, but he was pretty sure he was on the side of Samuel.
Jacob took a small step in Samuel's direction, choosing his
side. “Do you really think we will allow him to live as one of
the North?” Michael growled. Jacob shivered at the sound. It was
so base and animalistic, so inhuman. “I don't see that you have
a choice Michael. We are many and you are so few.” Jacob
watched in horror as wolves slid from the darkness. Some were
small, the size of large dogs, others huge and there was no
mistaking them for what they were. “Werewolves.” Jacob
whispered. Menacing in their silence, they approached and gathered
around the group. Michael and his two companions didn't look
frightened but there was something in their faces, resentment
perhaps. “I had not realized that so many of our own had
defected to the North. Many of them were thought dead by my pack.”
“They are in favor of the prophesy and they do not deny its
entirety. We don't have to be on different sides, Michael. That
is a choice you are making.” “That boy cannot possibly be the
one.”
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