Chapter 3
Outside, the sun was still shining. Amber and Luke ran across an open field, holding hands and laughing. Bobbi and Mike changed into their forms and jumped into the trees. From about twenty feet off the ground they watched everyone else. Angel noticed that Mike's long tail kept curling around Bobbi's short one. She shook her head and silently laughed. 'Soulmates are such a riot.' . Bobbi suddenly looked down at her and said something back telepathically.
'At least I have a soulmate, Angel,' she said, with a hint of smug superiority. Angel merely looked at Bobbi. As their eyes met, Angel kept the stare going. With a little yelp, Bobbi broke eye contact and lowered her head. 'SORRY!' came her instant apology. Angel didn't respond. Sage, Jake, and Peter were arguing about who was the fastest. Or more appropriately, Sage was trying to say that both Jake and Peter were fast at their own speeds while the other two boys argued. Lilli finally came over to settle the argument.
"Why don't you guys have a race to see who the fastest one is?" Jake and Peter nodded. Sage looked at Lilli and smiled.
"That's a very logical idea, Lilli." She smiled and took his hand.
"I guess having an Old-Soul for a boyfriend has some good points after all." Sage just blushed, and Peter whistled through his teeth.
Fine. You want to race me, Peter? You're on!" Jake challenged.
"Where will you race to?" Angel asked as she and Kat came up behind Jake.
"How about from here to Amber and Luke?" Peter suggested as he looked towards the couple. They were easily a good one hundred yards away.
"I'll ask them to tell us who wins." Angel said as she linked herself with her fellow vampires. 'Hey guys, will you do us a favor?'
'What is it, Angel?' they both asked
'Peter and Jake want to race each other. Will you two tell us who wins?'
'Sure, no problem!' Luke told her. Angel nodded at Sage to start the race.
"On your mark. Get set. GO!" he shouted. Peter and Jake took off, Peter running for all he was worth. Mid-way to the finish line, Jake tripped and fell. Peter passed him and kept running. Jake immediately changed into a wolf and charged after Peter. It wasn't long before Jake had caught up to and then passed the human. Jake finished easily and shifted back to human form. Amber and Luke stared at him.
"Jake, as much as I hate vermin, that was cheating and you know it," Amber told him.
"I tripped and fell and he passed me. If I hadn't done that, he would've won!"
"Are you saying that you can't outrun a human? What kind of a wolf are you?" Luke asked, challenge in his voice.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jake demanded, eyes flashing angrily.
"Just what I said. You're pathetic if you can't even beat a human when they've got a ten yard lead on you." Luke replied as he stood directly in front of Jake. Both of them stood there for a moment, tense and ready for action. Back at the starting line, everyone else was getting worried about what was going on.
"I don't like the looks of this," Lilli said as she tried to see what was going on.
"I don't either. Let's get down there before something happens," Angel added as she, Kat, Lilli, and Sage took off to where Jake and Luke were standing. Bobbi and Mike sat in the tree and looked at the others.
'Think we should go and help?' Mike asked, a little worried about what could happen.
'No. They'll be fine. Besides, I don't feel like fighting a wolf right now.' Meanwhile, Amber was doing her best to separate the two boys.
"Luke, just drop it, okay? Please?" she begged.
"No, I won't "just drop it". He's part of the Night World and he should be able to take on humans. If he can't, then what kind of Night Worlder is he?" Jake just looked at him and growled.
"It's not worth fighting over. Jake, back down before someone gets hurt!" Amber told him as she put her hand on his shoulder. That was a mistake. Jake had started to shift, and he hit Amber square in the face with a clawed hand. Screaming, she fell to the ground, blood welling up between her fingers.
"You sorry excuse for a wolf! I'll kill you for that! No one hurts Amber while I'm still alive!" Luke shouted. He jumped on Jake, who was now fully in his wolf form. Both of then went rolling head-over-heels, with Jake biting and scratching, and Luke punching and kicking. Angel saw the boys and moved in to separate them. She grabbed Luke while Sage and Lilli held onto Jake. Kat went over to Amber and put her arm around her.
"Sshh, it's okay. You're fine and Luke's fine. Everything's going to be all right," she assured her as Amber collected herself.
"I'm okay, Kat. Just a little shaken."
"Let me go, Angel! He had no right to hit Amber! Let me go!" Luke was yelling. Angel simply looked at her cousin.
"I will have no group member's blood being spilled while I'm still in charge," she told him flatly. To prove her point, she bent his arm until his elbow was almost to the breaking point. "Do I have to break it? Because you know I will. And it won't heal up by tomorrow if I break it." Luke shook his head, and Angel relaxed her grip on him slightly.
"Jake, what were you thinking?" Sage asked his friend. By this time Jake had shifted back and was capable of answering out loud.
"He insulted me. I had every right to do what I did." Lilli stared at him.
"You hit Amber, and she was just trying to break it up," she pointed out. Jake shrugged his shoulders in a So what? gesture.
"She got in my way." Sage and Lilli got off him and walked away in disgust. Angel helped Luke up, then fixed her gaze on Jake. When Angel was happy, her eyes were brown, green, hazel, blue, or even violet. But when she was mad, her eyes turned as red as blood. Jake saw her red eyes and knew he was in for it. Sure enough, Angel exploded at him.
"Got in your way? She "got in your way"? What happens if you get in my way Jake? Can I kill you just because you "got in my way"?" Jake shrank back from her. "Now apologize to Amber before I spill your blood myself!"
"I'm sorry, Amber," he said quickly, staring at the ground. He looked up at Angel and saw that her eyes were blue. For now, he was forgiven. Jake looked to Kat for support, but she turned her back on him. He gave up and started walking back to the entrance to headquarters. Kat was going after him when Angel stopped her and pointed to a nearby hill. She turned to see a group of people standing there with torches and wooden stakes.
"Who are they?: Kat asked, fear rising up inside of her.
"Whoever they are, you can bet they're not the welcoming committee," Lilli answered as Sage put his arms around her protectively.
"What do you think they want?" Amber wondered as she stood next to Luke.
"I don't know. But it can't be good for us, whatever it is," he replied as he hugged Amber closer. The people then began to walk, then march, and then finally to run towards them.
"Run now, and run fast!" Angel said to them. Everyone took off running. They saw Peter up ahead and called out to him.
"Run Peter! They're coming!" Sage shouted to him
"Who's coming?" he asked in a calm voice.
"Stupid human! Don't ask questions, just run!" Angel screamed. Realizing what was going on, Peter ran as fast as he could.
"Jake, run before the Hunters get you!" Peter shouted. Jake turned and saw the mob that was following them. He broke into a headlong run for the door and zipped under Bobbi and Mike, who followed him.
'Why are we running, Jake?' Mike asked.
"There are Hunters behind us!" Jake yelled, not bothering to look back.
'Hunters? You must be joking,' Bobbi replied in a carefree voice.
"You look behind me and then tell me I'm joking!" he replied. Bobbi and Mike looked back and saw the crowd.
'Oh great!' Mike yelled, picking up the pace.
'Tell me about it!' Bobbi added as she sped up as well.
"Our only chance is to reach the door!" Jake shouted to the others, who were a few feet behind him. The tree was just up ahead, and it looked like they would make it. Suddenly, Kat cried out and fell. One of the mob had hit her in the shoulder with a rock.
"Help me!" she screamed. Luke and Amber grabbed her and started to run. Sage then heard a whistling noise behind him.
"You know, that sound reminds me of when I was an archer in the Crusades," he said thoughtfully. Just then, an arrow landed next to him. Lilli was startled and almost stopped, but Sage pulled her along.
"That's why that sound was familiar, Sage. They're shooting at us!" she cried. Meanwhile, Jake, Bobbi, and Mike had reached the tree. Throwing open the door, Jake told them to get inside and warn everyone else. Bobbi and Mike disappeared down the stairs. Angel and Peter came up next, and Peter ran inside, followed by Sage and Lilli.
"Where's Kat?" Jake asked, sounding worried.
"Amber and Luke are coming with her," Angel told him. She ducked inside and Jake took Kat from Amber. He was about to go inside when an arrow came directly towards him. Luke reacted and pushed himself and everyone inside before he closed the door.
"That was close," Kat sighed, her voice soft. All of them could see she was pale, and she was holding her shoulder and wincing in pain.
"Jake, take Kat downstairs and see if anything's broken," Amber ordered nicely as Jake and Kat slowly descended the stairs. Amber was going to ask Luke something when she suddenly gasped. Sticking out of his shin was a wooden arrow. "Luke, you're hurt!" she nearly shouted as she put her arms around him.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he assured her. But even as he spoke, Amber could see that the pain was really bothering him.
"Why is it that men, especially Redfern men, have to be so damn stubborn?"
"Genetics?" he replied, pain-filled eyes lighting up in amusement. Just then, Angel came back up.
"What are you guys doing up here still?" She then saw the arrow in Luke's leg. "I was afraid that something had happened to one of you. Come on, let's go downstairs and fix you up. Then we all need to be on emergency alert. A meeting is scheduled soon, because apparently we aren't the only group to run into Hunters." Angel said as she helped Amber support Luke.
"Angel, do you think they'll find us?" Amber asked, looking back at the door.
"Goddess, I hope not," she replied as they wound their way down the stairs. They were all thinking that maybe Vermont wasn't the safest place to hold a big Night World meeting. For now though, all they could do was be on their guard till Hunter got there. He'd know what to do. Or at least, Angel hoped he knew what should be done.
Outside, the sun was still shining. Amber and Luke ran across an open field, holding hands and laughing. Bobbi and Mike changed into their forms and jumped into the trees. From about twenty feet off the ground they watched everyone else. Angel noticed that Mike's long tail kept curling around Bobbi's short one. She shook her head and silently laughed. 'Soulmates are such a riot.' . Bobbi suddenly looked down at her and said something back telepathically.
'At least I have a soulmate, Angel,' she said, with a hint of smug superiority. Angel merely looked at Bobbi. As their eyes met, Angel kept the stare going. With a little yelp, Bobbi broke eye contact and lowered her head. 'SORRY!' came her instant apology. Angel didn't respond. Sage, Jake, and Peter were arguing about who was the fastest. Or more appropriately, Sage was trying to say that both Jake and Peter were fast at their own speeds while the other two boys argued. Lilli finally came over to settle the argument.
"Why don't you guys have a race to see who the fastest one is?" Jake and Peter nodded. Sage looked at Lilli and smiled.
"That's a very logical idea, Lilli." She smiled and took his hand.
"I guess having an Old-Soul for a boyfriend has some good points after all." Sage just blushed, and Peter whistled through his teeth.
Fine. You want to race me, Peter? You're on!" Jake challenged.
"Where will you race to?" Angel asked as she and Kat came up behind Jake.
"How about from here to Amber and Luke?" Peter suggested as he looked towards the couple. They were easily a good one hundred yards away.
"I'll ask them to tell us who wins." Angel said as she linked herself with her fellow vampires. 'Hey guys, will you do us a favor?'
'What is it, Angel?' they both asked
'Peter and Jake want to race each other. Will you two tell us who wins?'
'Sure, no problem!' Luke told her. Angel nodded at Sage to start the race.
"On your mark. Get set. GO!" he shouted. Peter and Jake took off, Peter running for all he was worth. Mid-way to the finish line, Jake tripped and fell. Peter passed him and kept running. Jake immediately changed into a wolf and charged after Peter. It wasn't long before Jake had caught up to and then passed the human. Jake finished easily and shifted back to human form. Amber and Luke stared at him.
"Jake, as much as I hate vermin, that was cheating and you know it," Amber told him.
"I tripped and fell and he passed me. If I hadn't done that, he would've won!"
"Are you saying that you can't outrun a human? What kind of a wolf are you?" Luke asked, challenge in his voice.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jake demanded, eyes flashing angrily.
"Just what I said. You're pathetic if you can't even beat a human when they've got a ten yard lead on you." Luke replied as he stood directly in front of Jake. Both of them stood there for a moment, tense and ready for action. Back at the starting line, everyone else was getting worried about what was going on.
"I don't like the looks of this," Lilli said as she tried to see what was going on.
"I don't either. Let's get down there before something happens," Angel added as she, Kat, Lilli, and Sage took off to where Jake and Luke were standing. Bobbi and Mike sat in the tree and looked at the others.
'Think we should go and help?' Mike asked, a little worried about what could happen.
'No. They'll be fine. Besides, I don't feel like fighting a wolf right now.' Meanwhile, Amber was doing her best to separate the two boys.
"Luke, just drop it, okay? Please?" she begged.
"No, I won't "just drop it". He's part of the Night World and he should be able to take on humans. If he can't, then what kind of Night Worlder is he?" Jake just looked at him and growled.
"It's not worth fighting over. Jake, back down before someone gets hurt!" Amber told him as she put her hand on his shoulder. That was a mistake. Jake had started to shift, and he hit Amber square in the face with a clawed hand. Screaming, she fell to the ground, blood welling up between her fingers.
"You sorry excuse for a wolf! I'll kill you for that! No one hurts Amber while I'm still alive!" Luke shouted. He jumped on Jake, who was now fully in his wolf form. Both of then went rolling head-over-heels, with Jake biting and scratching, and Luke punching and kicking. Angel saw the boys and moved in to separate them. She grabbed Luke while Sage and Lilli held onto Jake. Kat went over to Amber and put her arm around her.
"Sshh, it's okay. You're fine and Luke's fine. Everything's going to be all right," she assured her as Amber collected herself.
"I'm okay, Kat. Just a little shaken."
"Let me go, Angel! He had no right to hit Amber! Let me go!" Luke was yelling. Angel simply looked at her cousin.
"I will have no group member's blood being spilled while I'm still in charge," she told him flatly. To prove her point, she bent his arm until his elbow was almost to the breaking point. "Do I have to break it? Because you know I will. And it won't heal up by tomorrow if I break it." Luke shook his head, and Angel relaxed her grip on him slightly.
"Jake, what were you thinking?" Sage asked his friend. By this time Jake had shifted back and was capable of answering out loud.
"He insulted me. I had every right to do what I did." Lilli stared at him.
"You hit Amber, and she was just trying to break it up," she pointed out. Jake shrugged his shoulders in a So what? gesture.
"She got in my way." Sage and Lilli got off him and walked away in disgust. Angel helped Luke up, then fixed her gaze on Jake. When Angel was happy, her eyes were brown, green, hazel, blue, or even violet. But when she was mad, her eyes turned as red as blood. Jake saw her red eyes and knew he was in for it. Sure enough, Angel exploded at him.
"Got in your way? She "got in your way"? What happens if you get in my way Jake? Can I kill you just because you "got in my way"?" Jake shrank back from her. "Now apologize to Amber before I spill your blood myself!"
"I'm sorry, Amber," he said quickly, staring at the ground. He looked up at Angel and saw that her eyes were blue. For now, he was forgiven. Jake looked to Kat for support, but she turned her back on him. He gave up and started walking back to the entrance to headquarters. Kat was going after him when Angel stopped her and pointed to a nearby hill. She turned to see a group of people standing there with torches and wooden stakes.
"Who are they?: Kat asked, fear rising up inside of her.
"Whoever they are, you can bet they're not the welcoming committee," Lilli answered as Sage put his arms around her protectively.
"What do you think they want?" Amber wondered as she stood next to Luke.
"I don't know. But it can't be good for us, whatever it is," he replied as he hugged Amber closer. The people then began to walk, then march, and then finally to run towards them.
"Run now, and run fast!" Angel said to them. Everyone took off running. They saw Peter up ahead and called out to him.
"Run Peter! They're coming!" Sage shouted to him
"Who's coming?" he asked in a calm voice.
"Stupid human! Don't ask questions, just run!" Angel screamed. Realizing what was going on, Peter ran as fast as he could.
"Jake, run before the Hunters get you!" Peter shouted. Jake turned and saw the mob that was following them. He broke into a headlong run for the door and zipped under Bobbi and Mike, who followed him.
'Why are we running, Jake?' Mike asked.
"There are Hunters behind us!" Jake yelled, not bothering to look back.
'Hunters? You must be joking,' Bobbi replied in a carefree voice.
"You look behind me and then tell me I'm joking!" he replied. Bobbi and Mike looked back and saw the crowd.
'Oh great!' Mike yelled, picking up the pace.
'Tell me about it!' Bobbi added as she sped up as well.
"Our only chance is to reach the door!" Jake shouted to the others, who were a few feet behind him. The tree was just up ahead, and it looked like they would make it. Suddenly, Kat cried out and fell. One of the mob had hit her in the shoulder with a rock.
"Help me!" she screamed. Luke and Amber grabbed her and started to run. Sage then heard a whistling noise behind him.
"You know, that sound reminds me of when I was an archer in the Crusades," he said thoughtfully. Just then, an arrow landed next to him. Lilli was startled and almost stopped, but Sage pulled her along.
"That's why that sound was familiar, Sage. They're shooting at us!" she cried. Meanwhile, Jake, Bobbi, and Mike had reached the tree. Throwing open the door, Jake told them to get inside and warn everyone else. Bobbi and Mike disappeared down the stairs. Angel and Peter came up next, and Peter ran inside, followed by Sage and Lilli.
"Where's Kat?" Jake asked, sounding worried.
"Amber and Luke are coming with her," Angel told him. She ducked inside and Jake took Kat from Amber. He was about to go inside when an arrow came directly towards him. Luke reacted and pushed himself and everyone inside before he closed the door.
"That was close," Kat sighed, her voice soft. All of them could see she was pale, and she was holding her shoulder and wincing in pain.
"Jake, take Kat downstairs and see if anything's broken," Amber ordered nicely as Jake and Kat slowly descended the stairs. Amber was going to ask Luke something when she suddenly gasped. Sticking out of his shin was a wooden arrow. "Luke, you're hurt!" she nearly shouted as she put her arms around him.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he assured her. But even as he spoke, Amber could see that the pain was really bothering him.
"Why is it that men, especially Redfern men, have to be so damn stubborn?"
"Genetics?" he replied, pain-filled eyes lighting up in amusement. Just then, Angel came back up.
"What are you guys doing up here still?" She then saw the arrow in Luke's leg. "I was afraid that something had happened to one of you. Come on, let's go downstairs and fix you up. Then we all need to be on emergency alert. A meeting is scheduled soon, because apparently we aren't the only group to run into Hunters." Angel said as she helped Amber support Luke.
"Angel, do you think they'll find us?" Amber asked, looking back at the door.
"Goddess, I hope not," she replied as they wound their way down the stairs. They were all thinking that maybe Vermont wasn't the safest place to hold a big Night World meeting. For now though, all they could do was be on their guard till Hunter got there. He'd know what to do. Or at least, Angel hoped he knew what should be done.