Arkenstone boasted a monster sized parking garage set behind the main complex, and that fact alone nearly had Bilba turning around and going home right then and there. She hated parking garages, and an isolated parking garage late at night was nothing short of a nightmare.
It was only when she recalled the image of an injured werewolf prince facing off against a creep to protect her that she gritted her teeth, steeled herself, and drove in.
Drove in down a steep ramp, which meant the first level was underground.
Of course it was.
She spotted an entrance to the mall, marked with white lettering and signs, and parked as close to it as she could get. This late at night, there was only a smattering of cars and her footsteps seemed to echo like rifle shots as she hurried toward the metal door.
The ground floor where she entered, was the mall itself, wide corridors lined with shops of all kinds on both sides. Quite a few were shuttered but with Arkenstone being a 24 hour venue just as many were still open. Down the center of the tiled corridor were still more booths, boasting everything from jewelry to candy to exotic foods and more.
As she passed a storefront featuring cinnamon rolls, Bilba was surprised to hear her stomach rumble. She couldn't remember the last time she'd looked at something fun like that and actually felt hungry. She ate because she had to, not usually because she wanted to.
She spotted a large map of the mall on a nearby wall and headed toward it to make sure she knew where she was going. The lounge/restaurant/thingy for which the entire complex was named was on the top floor. According to the map, she needed a bank of elevators on the exact opposite side of the mall from where she'd entered.
Figured.
She walked quickly toward that end, eyes fixed on the floor in front of her and arms wrapped tightly around her torso. There weren't very many people out this late, not on this floor anyway, but it still made her uncomfortable. She didn't like being in public. It was too easy for Lotho, or one of his lackeys, to hide in a crowd and watch her without her knowing. She could walk back out to her car and find them waiting, or get dragged into a dark corner the second she let her guard down.
The elevators came into view and she rushed to push the button to summon the car. When it opened the entire inside appeared to be polished quartz panels with gold trim and a marble floor. Bilba stepped in hesitantly, and the doors slid shut soundlessly behind her.
She hit the button that had an ornate A under it, and pressed back into a corner of the car. She felt the drop in her stomach signaling the car had started to move and tried to force herself to relax.
She didn't do well in enclosed spaces anymore. Things like elevators, public restrooms, anywhere with only one way in or out. Places where she lost the ability to control when, how, or if, she exited.
The button she'd pushed went dark and, with a quiet ding, the door slid smoothly open onto the most opulent, and extravagant lounge Bilba had ever seen. The far side featured massive panes of window glass stretching from the floor to the ceiling. She'd never noticed windows from the front of the building, which meant they must boast a spectacular view of the hills and far off mountains that lay behind the complex.
During the day at least. Currently, they were simply black rectangles, and served to remind her of the risk she was taking being out this late. Her eyes caught on doors at the bottom of several panes and, for a brief second, she let herself imagine sitting at a table out there, sipping on a drink and reading a book. Nothing but a beautiful landscape, and the rustle of leaves on nearby trees.
It must be peaceful.
She pulled her mind from that particular fantasy, and focused on the rest of the room. It was massive, and just...overwhelming to be perfectly honest. Chandeliers and marble and quartz sparkled from seemingly every corner. The place seemed to be a hybrid more than a true lounge, complete with a small dance floor and what looked like a full service kitchen. There were areas with couches and televisions, other spaces with expensive, leather covered booths, and still more sections that looked designed to just let people sit and talk.
A massive, winding staircase led up to a balcony style second level while, on the main level, she could see several raised portions that appeared to be private seating. There was quiet music playing over the entire room, almost drowning out the quiet clink of silverware, soft noise from a few television sets and the low drone of chattering voices.
Wringing the hem of her shirt in her hands, Bilba stepped hesitantly out of the elevator. It was fine. She'd just...go in and...do..something. She didn't expect to see the prince himself but maybe she could...talk to someone or...or maybe…
Her thoughts trailed off as her eyes, moving over the room, landed on a small, sectioned off part of the floor elevated about ten or so feet above the main floor. It was in the back, and shadowed, consisting of a single table with a group of people seated at it.
The one that drew her attention was a young woman with a veritable mane of flaming, scarlet hair but, next to her, was a young, dark haired man, sitting in profile so all she could see was the side of his face
Bilba fumbled out her phone and quickly recalled the search she'd done that had given her the prince's name. The picture popped up and she studied it before looking up again to try and compare it to the young man at the table.
When she did, she nearly dropped her phone because the young man in question was definitely the prince, and he was currently staring directly at her.
The entire table was, in fact, and not just them. She could still hear the music, and the televisions, but the chatter had died down entirely. Everywhere she looked she saw eyes, all staring directly at her.
This had been a mistake. Such a massive mistake. Bilba shuffled backward, her hands dragging on her shirt hem. What had she been thinking? She didn't belong here. She had to leave. Just leave.
She whirled around, and bit back a shriek as she nearly ran into a massive man suddenly standing directly behind her. He was like one of those guys she saw sometimes in weight lifting competitions. He was bald on the top of his head, but instead of trying to hide it he'd chosen to simply tattoo his scalp.
"Can I help you?" his voice was gravely, almost a growl that sent a chill up her spine. He crossed his arms over his chest, causing his muscles to bulge in a way that probably led to a lot of burst seams in his suit jackets and dress shirts.
Bilba shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I thought this area was public access."
"It is," he said flatly. "Can I help you?"
Bilba hesitated. She forced herself to let go of her shirt before she put a hole in it, and turned to glance back toward the table on that small, raised level.
It was empty.
Empty, and everyone else in the room was still staring at her.
"Um-" Bilba turned back toward the enormous man, half turned again to the now empty table and came to the unescapable realization that she'd made a horrific mistake. Again. "I'm sorry," she stammered. "I made a mistake. I need to go."
She edged slowly around the man, toward the elevator. He turned, following her movements but, to her surprise, didn't attempt to stop her.
Bilba got on the elevator and fumbled for the buttons, finally finding the one for the bottom floor and rapidly pushed it. The door slid closed, and she collapsed against the wall. She felt like she'd run a marathon and slowly allowed herself to slide down the wall into a crouch.
What had she been thinking? He was a prince. Of course she couldn't just march over and talk to him. The fact he'd even been there to begin with had been a massive shock.
She shoved a hand through her hair, and flinched as it caught on a few knots and pulled painfully. .
"Now what?" she whispered. She still had a mostly unconscious werewolf prince in her bed, and was no closer to finding him help. Maybe the pain medication would somehow get him to wake up enough to give her a phone number?
She let out a groan, wrapped her arms around her legs and dropped her head on her knees. This was exhausting...she was exhausted. She had work in the morning and then she'd need to ready the house for when, not if, Lotho showed up and then a million other things that she did to keep herself from having to stop and think too much.
She didn't have time for any of this.
Guilt hit her. Fili had been there for her when she'd needed him, and here she was begrudging the fact that he needed her to return the favor?
She really was just a terrible person, wasn't she?
The elevator slowed to a stop on the ground floor and she pushed to her feet as the door dinged and slid open, to an almost entirely empty level.
Bilba hesitated. There had been people earlier, hadn't there? Not many, but some.
She stepped out slowly, almost peeking out before taking the risk of fully committing to leaving the elevator car. Maybe it was just this area that was empty and, as soon as she got off, she'd see -
Emptiness.
The whole floor, in both directions, and there was no distant sound to suggest anyone was out of eyesight either. Bilba suppressed a chill. Just relax. She was making a mountain out of a molehill. It was late, and there hadn't been a lot of people to begin with. A movie had probably just started, or perhaps something in the underground entertainment complex had just opened. This was probably perfectly normal, she just didn't know because she'd never come before.
She began walking, probably faster than absolutely necessary...except for the fact that it certainly felt absolutely necessary.
She passed by an open storefront and glanced inside, only for it to appear as empty as the rest of the floor. It was a clothing store, she chided herself, and it was late. There was probably only one person working and they were just in the back. Same with the next store...and the next...and the one after that.
By the fourth seemingly empty store, Bilba's walk was just under a jog. She kept her eyes fixed on her feet, and tried her best to listen for any sort of sound over the quiet music blaring over the loudspeakers.
It couldn't be Lotho. He didn't have the kind of...whatever it was that would be needed to empty out the floor, especially of employees who were paid to be there.
She wanted to go back to the house. She never should have come here. It had been a mistake, one in a long list of mistakes she seemed to forever be making throughout the course of her life.
The door to the parking garage beckoned and she hurried toward it, feeling only a light modicum of relief as she pushed out into the darkened complex.
It was eerily quiet. No sounds of other cars, or people coming or going, not even the noise of traffic outside. She headed toward her car, mind instinctively going to every horror movie she'd ever seen that involved a woman walking alone at night.
She was both surprised and relieved to make it to her car, and even more so when she looked in and saw the backseat was empty. For a brief moment in time, it felt like the universe was giving her a break. A second of fortune in a flood of misfortune. She felt almost normal, for a second.
And then she slid her key into the ignition, turned it...and the engine refused to turn over.
Bilba's heart jolted and she tensed. She turned the key again, and mentally prayed as the engine tried, and failed, to turn over.
"Oh, you have to be kidding me," she breathed. She turned the key again, and again after that, only to hear the same sounds of a motor struggling, and failing, to catch. She released the key, and sank back in the seat, silence draping over her like a shroud.
Bilba closed her eyes, and let out a breath. Okay, she told herself. It was going to be fine. Just let it be for a minute, then turn the key again and -
Someone knocked on the window next to her.
Bilba shrieked and jumped so hard she hit her head against the roof of her car.
Outside the car, the man who'd startled her gave her a guilty look. He was probably a decade or two older than her, tall and fit with shoulder length, ash-blonde hair and a close shaven beard. He gave her a friendly grin, which did nothing at all to ease Bilba's anxiety. She forced a smile and gave what she hoped passed for a friendly wave, hoping he'd get the message and leave.
Instead, he leaned in closer, hands shoved in the pockets of the leather jacket he wore. "Car trouble?"
His voice was muffled by the glass and, with a sense of dread, Bilba turned the ignition key just enough to allow her to roll the window down part way. "A little. I'm sure it's fine though, sometimes it just takes a minute or two to warm up."
"Why don't you pop the hood and I'll take a look?"
Bilba bit back the desire to ask him if he was a mechanic and would therefore have any clue as to what he was doing.. "I'm sure it's fine. I can just call a tow truck."
"Not from in here you can't." He pointed at the thick concrete over their head. "Come on, I can at least walk you inside if you're looking for cell service."
And then what, Bilba thought. He could be just genuinely trying to help, or he could be one of those types that helped with the expectation of being repaid somehow. Usually, they expected a date or something along those lines, and then proceeded to get aggressive or angry when, instead, they simply received gratitude.
The man clearly had no intention of leaving, which left her with few options. She could stay in her car and risk him getting angry, or she could get out to try and find cell service and hope he'd leave her alone once they were back inside and surrounded by people.
The image of the empty floor came to mind and the sense of dread increased. This entire endeavor had been a terrible idea. If only she could rewind time until she was back in the rental house. She'd still have a sick werewolf prince to deal with, but at least she wouldn't be stuck in her current situation.
She opened the door. The man moved back a few steps and Bilba carefully got out. She pulled her purse strap over her head to wear it crossbody and clutched it as if it were a lifeline.
The man grinned broadly. "Great, let's go."
He made no attempt to introduce himself, and Bilba didn't want to create a false sense of intimacy by asking. Instead she hunched her shoulders and walked quickly back toward the mall entrance. She tried to outpace him, but his size advantage allowed him to keep up with her easily.
She reached the door, grabbed the handle, and pulled.
It didn't budge.
"Damn," the man's voice came from directly behind her. "I didn't realize how late it was. They must have closed already."
"Closed?" Bilba turned, only to realize she was now caught between the man in front of her and the door behind her. "I thought it was a 24 hour venue."
"It is," the man agreed. "But the mall still locks down at a certain point. If you're already in Arkenstone, or down in Ered Luin you're fine but, if you leave, you can't come back until the mall reopens and if you're outside when the mall closes-" His words trailed off, and he shrugged.
"Oh." Bilba gripped her purse strap with both hands again and tugged on it anxiously. Now what? "I - um -" she turned away from him, and spotted the sloped pavement she'd driven down to enter the garage. "I'll need to go outside, I guess, to get a signal."
She gave him a hesitant smile, and started toward the exit. Behind her, his footsteps followed and Bilba quickened her pace in response. It was just as dark outside as it was in, but at least it'd be more open, right? More people around, hopefully. He wasn't Lotho, so no one else should be in danger.
About a dozen feet ahead of her, a shadow shifted and Bilba bit back a gasp as a stranger stepped into view from behind a pillar. As he took several steps closer, the shadows fell away to reveal the tattooed man from the lounge. He stopped several feet away from her, crossed his arms and then just...stood there.
Movement came from her other side and a second man stepped into view and took up a matching position. This man was older with a strong build and salt and pepper hair. A thick scar ran from the center of his forehead down through his right eye, leaving it a milky, dull white.
A low, guttural growl echoed through the garage and Bilba's blood froze in her veins.
At the top of the ramp leading out of the garage, an enormous, coal black wolf appeared. It was smaller than Fili with a slimmer build but was no less massive.
It lowered its head and let out another growl, lips curling back to reveal vicious looking, curved fangs.
Bilba bit back a whimper as a vivid image of those teeth ripping into her flashed through her mind. The wolf took a step forward, and she instinctively backed up, only to run into someone who lightly grabbed her upper arms to steady her.
She'd completely forgotten about the man who'd originally spoken to her at her car. He was looking past her at the wolf with a flat expression.
It, meanwhile, was still approaching. Bilba tried to move, unsure of where she was going to go but just wanting to go somewhere else, only to have the man behind her tighten his grip to hold her in place.
The wolf moved into a darker section of the garage where the lights set in the ceiling didn't reach. The shadows themselves seemed to shift and, when they released him, it was a man who strode out instead of a wolf.
And not just any man bit the dark haired prince whose picture had come up when she'd searched the name Kili online. In those images the man had been smiling and carefree. He was anything but now. His body was wound as tight as a bow string, and the look in his eyes was hard enough to strike her dead on the spot if they held the power.
He strode right up to her, towering over her and, when he spoke, it was as if he'd carried the wolf over into his voice. "You have ten seconds to tell me where the hell my brother is, and why you're soaked in his blood. Start talking."