Page 97 of Of Fate and Phantoms
We approached the lane, but were still some distance away when six large creatures dashed out. Three looked like wolves, two were more bear-like, while the sixth was like no animal I'd ever seen. It was covered in fur, like the others, but had a wide, flat nose rather than a canine one. It, and one of the wolves, skidded to a halt upon seeing us while the others continued on. The wolf sniffed the air and made to approach us, but the other yelped and the wolf turned away. Both ran off on all fours after their mates.
Lincoln sprinted after them but only got as far as the corner. He came back, shaking his head. "They're too fast."
Seth and Gus stared at the corner. Then they turned as one to Lincoln.
"That was them, weren't it?" Gus asked. "Lady G, King and his friends."
Lincoln nodded. "I suspect so."
"Bloody hell," Seth murmured. "I don't know what I was expecting, but not…that. They weren't all the same."
"No," Lincoln said. "They weren't. I recognized Harriet, and I suspect the odd one out was King. As pack leader, he ordered her to follow."
I tried to reconcile the pretty, delicate Harriet with the beast I'd just seen running off through the dark streets of London, but I couldn't. I wondered how she'd react next time I saw her. Embarrassed? Liberated? Perhaps she'd refuse to see me.
"They were waiting for the rain to stop and darkness to fall, so they could go for a run," Seth said.
"I agree with the woman who reckoned it's too early," Gus said. "They should've waited until everyone was asleep."
Seth glanced at the inky sky. "It's dark enough and cold enough that no one will be out." But he sounded worried and glanced at the corner again. "Now what?"
"We wait," Lincoln said.
Gus groaned. "That bath ain't getting any closer."
"You can go home," Lincoln said. "Take Charlie with you."
"No." I folded my arms over my chest. "I'm staying."
"There ain't no point staying," Gus said before Lincoln could answer. "Lady G ain't in danger. King even said she was going home soon, that's why they're gone for their run now. Come on, Charlie."
"But once the group breaks up, King will be alone and we can confront him. If he doesn't want to answer, he could cause trouble. Lincoln and Seth will need your help to subdue him."
Gus groaned. "I ain't going nowhere, am I?"
Lincoln remained quiet, which I knew was agreement. He merely regarded me, as did Seth and Gus.
I sighed. "Yes, I know I said that Gus is needed, not me. Fine, I'm going home. I don't want to get in the way."
Seth huffed out a frosty breath. "You're going home because you want a warm bath and hot soup."
"Next time you mention baths and soup, I'll thump you," Gus groaned.
"We'll look around King's rooms for any sign of Mink," Lincoln said. "Then wait for them to return down here."
"Perhaps Mink's inside waiting, too," I said. "Or perhaps he has returned home already."
Lincoln squeezed my hand, depositing some money in my palm. "For the cab. Stay warm."
He walked off. Seth and Gus trotted to catch up then fell into step beside him until they turned the corner into Rugby Street. I headed in the opposite direction to the pack and made my way to a busier thoroughfare where I paid for a hackney to take me home.
The driver stopped at Lichfield's gates, unable to venture up the drive due to another coach blocking the entrance. It had begun to rain again, and my driver shouted at the other coachman to move on.
"Oi!" my driver shouted. "What're you doing?"
I hardly had time to register his words when the cabin door wrenched open. A man clad all in black, a hood covering most of his face, leaned inside. I swallowed my scream and scrambled out of his reach.
"You have to come with me," he said, much too politely for a kidnapper.
