Page 21 of Under Dark Skies

The voice was enthused. Layla suddenly realized that the man in the car wasn’t just some lowly cab driver. She tried at the door, but it was locked.

“No point in doing that young lady. I’m afraid we managed to outthink you and your wolf friend.”

The driver laughed. Layla lifted a leg and kicked him in the back of the arm, making him cry out in the pain. He reached back and snatched the walkie back. He spoke into it, incredibly agitated. “The bitch just kicked me. We’ll be there in a minute. Be ready.”

Layla had finally gathered what was happening to her. She had been kidnapped by PEACE agents, and Rafe had no idea. She wished they had picked up another phone for her—how was she supposed to warn him?

She tried the door again, smacking the glass as hard as she could. She was no wolf, but she knew that anxiety and adrenaline offered their own kind of superpowers.

The driver screamed at her. “HEY!”

She stopped abruptly. “You’re only making this worse. There’s no way to get out of here. So shut the fuck up.”

Rage seethed through Layla’s pores. The driver whipped into a parking lot between two small concrete buildings. As he unbuckled his seatbelt she reached around for an epic punch, landing a good smack just under the chin. “What the fuck?”

He leapt out of the car and opened her door. She laid down on her back and kicked and screamed. It might not save her, but it would definitely make it harder to move her. He grabbed her by the ankles and pulled, but she managed to land two good kicks in his face.

"You fucking stupid bitch.”

He went to grab her again, but another man pushed him aside. He was tall, and wearing all black. His hair was snow white, and eyes an unnatural blazing blue. “This must be Layla. We’ve been expecting you.”

Layla kept kicking. “I’m not coming with you! Fuck you! Get away from me!”

“Goodness me. Some of the wolves told you were a firey one. That’s no matter. I may not be a wolf, but I was made to handle humans just like you.”

Layla was scared, but tried not to show it. Out of his pocket came a long syringe. He held it in front of his face, smiling. Her eyes widened, and she tried to scream more.

“No one can hear you darling. Especially that wolf friend of yours.” He laughed, a medial and ancient guffaw. “He just walked right into our trap didn’t he?”

The driver laughs while rubbing his face. Layla hoped that a few bruises would bloom there soon.

“Hold her legs will you. I think you can at least handle that.”

The driver came back for more, and was able to firmly hold Layla down this time. She tried to move them, even to reach forward to punch him, but the white-haired man leaned forward and wrapped a large hand around her throat.

He squeezed. Layla felt the air in her lungs thinning. Panic grew in her chest, and she knew she was going to pass out soon. This time for real.

“It would have been easier to bring you in, but I should have known it wouldn’t be easy for you. You and that wolf have given us a lot of grief.”

The man brought the pointed edge of the syringe closer. Layla tried to scream, but it was like trying to yell through a straw.

He squeezed harder, then smiled. The pointed edge went into the open side of her neck, and deep into the vein. Layla’s vision narrowed. The panic was at least diminishing, but she knew she was going to wake up somewhere she didn’t know.

And worse, somewhere perhaps Rafe didn’t know.

The last thing she heard was the man whispering in her ear while losing his grip on her throat. “There you go, that’s much better. Good girl. Now pick her up and bring her inside. It should be easier now.”

She did everything she could not to fall into the darkness, but it was inevitable. She went limp and fell into the dim.

Twenty

Rafe

Horns honked at Rafe as he crossed the road. But he barely noticed. He was focusing on the wolf across the road. He knew that he was approaching an incredibly strong wolf. He was thankful that he was able to heal before starting up another fight. But he definitely could not deny the fact that there was some fear in him.

He tried to make up for it with a narrow focus. He made it across the road, and the wolf was still leaning against the wall. His confidence irritated Rafe.

“Look like you’re in the wrong part of town, buddy.” Rafe growled through his gritted teeth.

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