Chapter 9 Ch 9

I felt like I had finished choking up a spleen by the time Angelica was done having her way with me. Coughing, I rubbed my tender neck.

Lee held her gaze on me while her hands rested on the oracle's shoulders. Angelica was sheet-white. Her eyes were glossed over. She wasn't unconscious, but something sure as hell wasn't right.

"Is that—" I coughed again and curled my cramping tongue. "Is that normal?"

"No," Lee responded. "I need to go lay her down. How are you feeling, Anna?"

"I'm fine. You go take care of her."

"Will you be okay down here by yourself?"

I glanced around the lobby, still massaging my throat. Basileus had been called away right before Angelica did her little voodoo on me. "Mhmm," I told her. "Don't worry."

Lee and Angelica disappeared into an elevator. I stood there in the corner of the lobby and watched the people-wolves mill in and out. Never in the entirety of my life did I think this situation would ever find me. If someone told me three days ago I would be in the middle of the Lycan King's camp, I would've run as far and fast as I could.

"You look lost," remarked a familiar deep voice.

I turned to see Tandan approaching. He was damp with sweat and his eyes seemed sunken.

"And you look beat down," I countered.

"Eh." He shrugged. "Where's Lee? Did she abandon you again?"

At the coyness in his voice, I smiled. "No. Angelica just gave me the, uh, gift of tongues." It sounded so dumb to say out loud. "Anyway, Angelica was getting faint so Lee took her up to a room. I chose to stay down here."

"Angelica has been weak. Why would she do that?"

"Yeah, I don't know. She wanted to."

Tandan shook his head. "That woman is going to kill herself someday. Do you want to come up with me? I'm going to collect my mate and I guess now check on Angie."

"No, thanks." I folded my hands in front of me. "I'm waiting for Basileus."

"Really? He might be a while."

A frown tugged at my lips. "How am I always waiting on the big stooge?" I harrumphed.

The thought of running crossed my mind again. Lee said I would basically never escape him, but I didn't see how that was possible. It seemed very unlikely that she'd ever hidden as long or as well as I had before Peter and Daniel found me. If anyone could hide from the big bad wolf, it was probably me. And now that there was a chance my family was alive, I had a place to run to.

"Hello?"

I jumped at the snapping fingers in my face. Tandan lifted his brows at me, unimpressed.

"You zoned out there for a minute," he remarked. "Do you want to come up with me or not?"

"Um, no, you go ahead," I said.

"You're just going to wait down here then?"

I shrugged.

"Okay, well, don't go too far. God knows Lee will snap my neck if you end up missing or eaten."

A shiver of fear wiggled down my body. I assured him with a nod before watching him go. If I had to spend another minute cooped up in this building, I would lose it. A few people loitering in the lobby glanced at me as I headed for the doors, but no one said anything. Why would they? They probably all saw their Royal Highness chasing me around.

I needed to talk to that Royal pain in my ass. Not only because I actually needed to demand my freedom, but also because I didn't really believe Angelica's witchy voodoo worked. I had to experience this for myself.

The air felt heavy with humidity as I left the hotel. Not too distantly the roar of car engines bounced around the streets. It almost sounded like a city again but not quite. There was still too much death here. I couldn't wait to get away, to escape this death hole that once was so beautiful and full of life.

My eyes scanned the square and streets for the Lycan King's hulking body, but he was nowhere in sight. I felt nervous about approaching the square—where the wolves congregated most densely—so I skirted around the buildings and kept my head down. Where was I going? To hell, if I knew. I just needed to get out.

Shortly after I reached the opposite side of the square from the hotel where an old law firm sat abandoned. I lowered my bottom onto the wood steps. My mind flickered between the weather and everything around me. For some reason, I thought about Nathan and Peter. Nathan was being held hostage in the basement and he thought I was a traitor. And Peter was dead? I hadn't seen him since I plowed into Basileus a few hours ago. What would Peter say to me?

All of the possible names came to mind, and I no longer wanted to just sit down and think. The genocide had turned me into a coward who ran from things: danger, people, my own shadow. I didn't want to be that girl anymore.

"I need to find Basileus," I muttered under my breath.

I looked back at the square, pushing my wall of dark hair out of my face. None of the wolves were paying me any attention. Would they know where he was? Could I even find him? I huffed. It was worth a shot. There wasn't anything else for me to do, and if he didn't want me to bother him, he shouldn't have taken me captive.

Squaring my shoulders, I started towards the nearest man. He was seated at a table in a tent and seemed to be studying something. At my approach his head lifted. His face was aged and tanned from the sun. Traces of gray-colored his hair.

"Hi," I said.

"Who are you?" he grunted.

"Basileus' plaything, apparently." I crossed my arms over my chest. "Do you know where he is?"

The man scrunched up his face before looking around. "No . . . ?"

"Aren't you one of his people? His pack or whatever?"

"I'm a Delta," he told me like I'd know what the hell that meant. "I rarely see him. If you want to know where he is, you need to ask Lee or Tandan. They're the only ones who have a general take on him."

"So you mean you don't talk to him? Like ever?"

He shook his head. "None of us can understand him. We all take orders from Tandan."

Interesting. I hummed and tapped my chin.

"I don't remember hearing anything about you," the man spoke. "What'd you say your name was?"

"Anna. And I'm new here. Basileus picked me up a few hours ago."

A flash of understanding entered his eyes. "You were the woman with Peter and that other human. The traitors."

My throat caught with an uncomfortable swallow. "Technically, ye—"

"So you're a traitor!" his voice boomed as he jumped up from his seat. "You're a traitorous bitch!"

I teetered back, wide-eyed. "No, I—"

"You're just like the rest of those vermin!"

Before I could react, he leaped over the table and morphed into a massive, dark-haired monster. I was thrown to the ground and almost knocked unconscious. My head raged from the force of my fall. I couldn’t see for several seconds. As my vision cleared I felt his body pressing over mine. His hot breath poured over me. A drop of saliva dribbled onto my cheek. I wheezed out a frightened whimper.

Then there was that roar, that battle cry my senses had already come to know. The hairs on my arms stood. Snapping his jaws shut, the wolf jerked upright. His eyes swiveled around. I could have sworn the earth trembled under the assault of Basileus' paws. My vision swam with stars and tears. Just before I passed out, I felt the pressure lift from my body.