qazyfiction

Chapter 14

Her chances of escaping were depressingly low.  Lilith counted eleven weres in the clearing, including Amber.  Despite Amber’s friendliness, Lilith knew she couldn’t count on anyone’s protection: no one could disobey Al.  Not even Silver.  And the sky was growing darker with every passing moment.  Without the help of a nightlight, she wouldn’t be able to see where she was going if she decided to escape.

One of the weres left the group and headed in their direction.  He was quite tall and had dark hair.  She recognized him as the were who had been sitting with the teenage boy earlier.

When he was within earshot, Amber gestured vaguely with one hand.  “Is everything…?”

He shrugged.  “Al’s just being careful.  Wouldn’t want a repeat of Silver, would we?”

“So why are you here?”

He half-smiled, the expression both calculated and seductive.  “Me?  I just like playing with fire.”  And then he settled down on the ground next to them and looked at Lilith expectantly.

Amber shook her head, seeming amused.  “Jake, this is Lilith.  Lilith, Jake.”

“We’ve met,” Jake said.

She looked at him doubtfully.  “We have?”

“We weren’t introduced, but I saw you in the clearing.”

“You were the other wolf, guarding Silver?  The black one?”

He grinned.  “Yep.  I look a bit different now, don’t I?  To be fair, you look quite different, too.  A bit taller, for one,” he said, winking one green eye at her.

She laughed.  His friendly tone made her relax.  Maybe Al hadn’t decided to kill her just yet.  “Anything else?”

“Well, now that I see you better, you look too tasty to be a worm.”

Lilith hoped he was talking about her looks and not about eating her.  “Thanks?”

“It’s a good thing, girl.”  The high set of his cheekbones complimented his wicked smirk. “Makes me hope you can come with us into town tomorrow.”

She felt her cheeks warm a little.  “The name’s Lilith.”

He winked again.  “Sure thing, girl.”

Their conversation was interrupted by an irritable-looking Silver, who dropped down on to the ground beside Amber with a smooth, graceful movement, wearing a rather battered pair of trousers and a black shirt, unbuttoned.  He had Lilith’s cloak balled up in one hand, and he tossed it on to Lilith’s lap without even a word of thanks.

She took the cloak and refolded it properly, setting it down beside her, looking at Silver rather sourly.  He didn’t notice; he was speaking to Amber in a low tone, so softly that she couldn’t make out the words. Their heads were close together, and their thighs were touching, lined up side by side.  The sight made Lilith feel simultaneously annoyed and uncomfortable.

Barely a minute later, Silver stood.  “Jake.  Come.”  He walked away without waiting.

Jake pushed himself up to his feet and brushed his trousers off.  “Duty calls.”  He saluted them and loped off after Silver.

Lilith watched them go.  “Where are they going?”

“Pack meeting.”  Amber was also watching the men, Lilith noticed.  She was annoyed to notice just how often Amber’s eyes lingered on Silver.

“Aren’t you going to go then?”

“I wasn’t invited,” Amber said with a cheery smile.

Lilith forced a sympathetic expression.  She didn’t believe Amber for one second; it was far more likely the werewolves wanted someone to keep their eye on her.  After all, she was the outsider here.  She didn’t belong.

Lilith felt her eyes water at the thought.  She tilted her head downwards and blinked a few times.  There was no time for weakness.

She looked over to the other side of the camp.  Everyone was moving towards Al; even the younger boy had joined the huddle.  They sat down in a loose ring.  It couldn’t be more obvious that Lilith was being intentionally excluded, and her heart sank as she realized why.  They were probably only now coming to a decision about what to do with her.  She wasn’t safe yet.

She chanced a glance at Amber.  The were was studiously examining her nails, looking entirely absorbed in her thoughts.

Lilith looked back at the other side of the clearing, mentally calculating the distance.  Was it ten, fifteen steps?  It was hard to judge.  How fast could the weres move, anyway?  If she leapt up now, when they weren’t expecting it, she might just be able to lose herself amongst the trees.  And the river led to the town; if she followed it she wouldn’t get lost.

Lilith stretched her arms, using the movement as a cover to examine her surroundings.  The pack’s supplies were halfway between her and the others, too far away for her to steal anything.  Her stomach cramped at the thought of food, but escaping was more important.

Her cloak was beside her.  That, at least, she could take.  Lilith rubbed her arms, faked a shiver even though Amber wasn’t looking directly at her.  She then picked up her cloak and slung it over her shoulders, half-standing up to do so.  As she clipped it closed around her neck, Lilith tensed her leg muscles, ready to run.

Amber spoke without looking up from her nails.  “Don’t.”

Lilith froze, strived to sound casual.  “Don’t?”

“Don’t make a run for it.” Amber looked up, her face alien all of a sudden, her animal side peeking through her human features.  “Although some of us wolves might enjoy the hunt.”

Her face was frightening.  Lilith sank back down on to the ground, pulling her cloak tightly around her.  There was no use denying what she’d been about to do.

“Wouldn’t be much of a challenge, though,” Amber said as looked back down at her nails.  “We could follow you by smell alone.”

The words made Lilith feel a little self-conscious.  She hadn’t showered since the previous morning.  She was intensely aware of the dirt caked under her nails, the dust on her clothes from sleeping outside, the faintly sticky skin under her arms.  It was just as well there were no mirrors around.

Amber stood up, jolting Lilith out of her thoughts. “Come on,” she said, looking over to the others. Al was beckoning them over.

Lilith pushed herself up slowly, her mind scrambling for a way to delay the inevitable.  “They’ve already made a decision?”

“A decision?  About what?” Then Amber saw the look on her face and pursed her lips sympathetically.  “They haven’t even started talking about you.  They’re waiting for us.”

Lilith followed Amber reluctantly, unsure whether to believe the were’s words.  What had the pack been talking about before, if not her? She glanced at the forest behind her, tempted to run, but she couldn’t help but feel resigned now. There was no point in running.

Amber sat down, and gestured for Lilith to sit beside her.  They were closer to the wolves now, close enough to hear them, but outside of the circle.  Clearly, they didn’t want Lilith getting too close to anyone.  She couldn’t help but wonder why.

Amber leaned towards her, keeping her voice low.  “Whatever you do, don’t talk.” She looked stern. “And don’t touch anyone.  It’s already a lot that Al is letting you listen to this conversation.”

Lilith bit back a sarcastic retort, and scanned the weres.  Her prospects didn’t look good.  Even if Silver defended her, there were ten other weres against him. Judging by Rae’s scowl, she was definitely going to vote against Lilith, and if the possessive hand on her knee was any indication, the were next to Rae was going to vote the same way.

After his aggressive attitude earlier in the afternoon, Claw was another no, and Lilith guessed his two friends—a woman with a thick, straight fringe, and a small, weasel-faced man—weren’t feeling particularly friendly towards her.

Who would stand up for her? Amber? Maybe Jake? On one side of Jake was one of the new arrivals, a man with a gentle smile on his face, his sandy blond hair carefully brushed. He smiled right at her, and Lilith felt a faint flicker of hope. But the boy on the other side of him had the complete opposite expression: he was scowling at her, his eyes flicking between her and Silver.

Silver was her only definite ally. Lilith turned to smile at him but he was studiously looking away from her, arms crossed, a deep scowl on his face. Her heart sank.

Al chose that moment to break the silence. “What should we do with the girl?”