A/N: What's this? Could it be...yes an update. I was actually planning to just leave the story where it was but amy. d. fuller .9 asked for an update so here you go :)
It was three am when she heard it, she knew this because the bright red numbers of her bedside clock glowed brightly in the darkness causing her to blink several times. The noise itself was barely a whisper in the wind and were it not for her wolf hearing she wouldn't have even heard it. Of all the sounds of Washington DC this is the one that had woken her up and Riley knew better than to simply discount it and go back to sleep. With the grace and skill of a predator she quietly slid out of bed, barely making a sound as she slid her gun from its holster on her nightstand, grabbing her silver hunting knife at the last second, tucking it into the waistband of her sweatpants. It had been a long time since she had used it but with Michael back from the dead it was her best defence, it's weight sure and comforting against her back. Briefly she considered calling Gabriel but quickly decided against it. There was no way she could drag him into this, it was far too dangerous.
Nerves on high alert she silently slid out of her apartment, keeping to the shadows as she made her way downstairs. Whatever it was she was almost certain it was outside which worked to her advantage as there was no risk of any bystanders getting hurt. There was the added bonus that she knew this area better than her first apartment, which made creeping out incredibly easy. She called the wolf from deep inside her, letting it take over her senses. Smells whizzed by and she sorted through them with ease, eliminating them one by one until she found what she was looking for: the stark, rotten smell of death. Gun out in front she made her way to the alleyway between her building and Gabriel's following the scent. As she reached the corner it became stronger and she knew she was in the right place. Part of her cringed but the wolf part delighted in the possibility of a confrontation.
Rounding the corner the first thing Riley noticed was that she was in fact the only living soul in the alleyway and she barely had time to process the silence as a warning before she was grabbed, her scream lost on the wind.
Something had woken him up. Gabriel groaned and turned, staring at the bright yellow numbers for several moments before he processed that it was indeed three-o-six am. He rubbed a hand over his eyes, considering rolling over and going back to sleep-this wasn't the first time he had woken up at this hour but something was amiss so with all the reluctance of the first day of school he dragged himself out of bed, barely pausing to grab his firearm before he was out the front door.
Outside it was eerily silent, not even the sound of crickets penetrated the air. The last time he had experienced such silence was moments before a landmine exploded and it immediately sent adrenalin through his system, wiping away all traces of sleep. Following his instincts he went left to the alleyway that separated his building from Riley's.
Gun trained in front of him he paused, noticing an unusual scent in the air, almost like decay. He wished for his partners nose and cursed himself for not calling her. It was too late now and he took a deep breath, steadying his nerves as he rounded that final corner. The alley was empty but something was off about it, setting off his nerves and causing goose bumps to break out across his skin. He couldn't fully explain the feeling that went through him except that it was wrong, frightening him in a way he hadn't felt for a long time. Immediately he backed away, giving into the urge to flee and he almost missed the flash of silver that caught his eye. Fighting back his basic instincts he crept towards it, thankful that it was at the very edge of the alley on Riley's side.
The closer he got to it the more dread that filled him. Lying on the ground discarded were a gun and knife, both of which he recognised as Riley's.
No, please no.
The second time Riley awoke was far less pleasant than the first, mainly because she was chained to what she assumed was a brick wall, the silver of the cuffs burning her flesh. She knew he was there even before he spoke but his voice still startled her, it was strange hearing it after all this time.
"Aaah, I see you're awake." He came into view and she had to admit she had done a good job with Michael. Ugly, puckered scars covered much of his face and chest, one arm mauled so badly it was almost unrecognisable. Four long claw marks stood out against his throat, far neater than the other scars. It was part of wolf heritage and the mark that she thought killed him. Though she should be frightened the only thing she could think was Gabriel was right.
"Sending Demons to do your dirty work, that isn't like you Michael. You look pretty good for a dead man" It sounded like something Gabriel would say, he must have been rubbing off on her. Michael laughed, the sound echoing off the walls around them. It wasn't pleasant but she had just been kidnapped by Demons so it was pretty low on her list. She kept waiting for the fear to come but all she could think about was getting back to Gabriel and she resolved to do exactly that.
"And you would know that, wouldn't you Riley?" he spat her name with venom and for the first time his calm exterior cracked. "I did you a favour by taking you in little pup and this is how you repay me?"
"Guess I'm not such a little pup anymore then" he sneered at her and she growled in response. For a moment they stayed like that, locked in a battle of wills but her captor seemed to realise she was at a distinct disadvantage because he smiled cockily, shaking his head. His hair shook with the movement, several scents floating past her as he did so. The main thing that stood out was sea-salt and that, combined with the sound of the waves in the distance told her she was most likely in an abandoned warehouse on the lower west side, probably not far from the docks.
"Poor little wolf, all tied up" He was within a millimetre of her reach and as much as she would like to tear that cocky look right off his face she knew she couldn't reach and she was betting he did too. He had always been ruled by his pride and perhaps she could use it to her advantage. None of her old pack had been in here as far as she could determine which meant they probably also thought he was dead, which explained the Demons. The creatures themselves had no real form, they were simply wisps of darkness that carried the scent of decay and an intensely bad feeling, most commonly followed by death. While they definitely were not her favourite creatures these were merely lesser Demons, driven by a hunger they could never fulfil. Even now they seemed to hover around him, feeding on his fear. That most likely meant part of him was still afraid of her. She could work with that.
Riley met his eyes, glaring. It was a clear act of defiance and he tensed, growling at her. She growled back and it increased his level of anger.
"What do you think you're doing little wolf?" he knew she hated the nickname but after all this time it had lost its meaning especially after her date with Gabriel, during which he started calling her 'wolfie' just to wind her up.
"Honestly Michael you kidnapped me what did you expect?" This time his growl was louder and it set the Demons on edge. As long as she kept a clear head there was no reason for them to come near her.
"Shut up!" he slapped her, sending a shock of pain through her nose and she immediately bit back, just managing to scrape her teeth across the back of his hand. Next time he was stupid enough to do that she would take a few fingers off. Honestly it would be an improvement.
"You know what you are Little Wolf? A coward. That's right, you couldn't succeed in the pack, you failed to kill me, hell you fell right into my hands"
"And yet I still managed to defeat you" He grabbed her by her hair, pulling her face up to his.
"Don't you ever open your stupid little mouth again" His breath stunk of rotting meat and decaying flesh and for the first time she wondered if she was wrong, perhaps he wasn't as alive as he appeared.
"Like this?" she growled, bearing her teeth and locking onto his nose. Blood filled her mouth and dripped down her chin, disgusting and rotten but she forced herself to hold on. He let go of her hair, raking his claws across her cheek forcing her to let go. She feigned going for his hand, instead scraping her teeth along his jugular. It wasn't deep enough to cause significant damage but it was enough to have him backing away, blood pouring out of the mangled mess of his nose and throat.
"You little..."
"What Michael?" He tossed his head back and howled, causing her to growl in response. Her cheek stung where he had clawed her, blood pouring out and mixing with his. It stirred the wolf, who was held back by the silver.
"When I'm done with you your going to wish I had killed you" he stalked out, holding his nose and leaving a trail of blood as he went. A door slammed and she was left alone. Well not completely, she could still feel the Demons sliding over her skin but she ignored them, focusing on loosening the chains from the wall. There was no way she could break out of the silver and without the strength of the wolf her only hope was that her theory was correct and this was in fact an old warehouse and the bolts were attached to a crumbling wall.
As Riley experimentally pulled dust particles rained down on her. Her wrists and ankles burned, searing pain shooting through her limbs. The smell of burnt flesh filled her senses and she hissed in pain, struggling not to scream and attract attention. She kept pulling, feeling the give little by little. Her breaths were heavy and strained but finally the old wall gave with an enormous creak, releasing the bolts and she fell forwards, barely catching herself before she hit the ground. She stayed like that for a moment panting, straining to hear any sounds that alerted Michael to her escape but she was met with only silence.
Letting the chains trail uselessly behind her she shoved a fist through the first window she came to (if Michael hadn't heard he escape then the sound of breaking glass shouldn't make a difference). She heard them before they entered, two sets of footsteps followed by several more. Damn, had she been wrong about the pack. Left with only two options: stay and fight or make a break for it she took the chains in her hands despite the burning and, deciding they made a pretty good weapon she darted around to behind the door, using the surprise to her advantage.
Sensing hostility the Demons rose up, distracting the first two long enough for her to take them out. They hadn't brought weapons with them, cocky bastards and it was relatively easy. She turned on the rest, getting a decent look at them before they attacked. They were surprising weak, definitely not her old pack probably just lone wolves kicked out from their packs at one point or another and after she took the first few down the rest appeared to back off. The chains, as she learnt indeed made a good weapon and wrapping them around her victim's throat she could strangle them quite quickly. It wouldn't kill them (werewolves were notoriously difficult to kill) but it would leave them knocked out for quite a while. The rest of them chose to run, presumably to fetch re-enforcements and she took the opportunity to take out the rest of the glass and escape into the morning light.