They stopped in an alley about twelve blocks away. Habbakkuk roughly shoved
the unconscious Nicodemus off his lap. He landed on his shoulder on the
pavement. "He reeks of human," the werewolf muttered coldly.
"What, so you won't carry him?" Lenore asked with a wicked grin. "Does that mean I get to ride with you?"
Guenhyvar just shook her head. "Not unless Obie is tall enough to drive your motorcycle for you." A hopeful look crossed Oberon's face, but Guenhyvar shook her head again.
"I'm not riding with THAT," Habbakkuk repeated obstinantly, as though Nicodemus was something to be reviled. If Guen was right, if Nicodemus was human, then he was.
Taliesin just stared at his team with a mixture of contempt and humor. "FINE! I'll take him, if it'll make you all so bloody happy!" The shapeshifter sat straighter in his seat, fixed them each in turn with his amber-eyed glare. "But you had all better help get him onto my bike and make sure he'll stay there," he growled.
Habbakkuk picked up Nicodemus and placed him on the seat behind Taliesin, all the while acting as though there was an offensive odor in the air. Guenhyvar and Lenore quickly used a length of rope to tie the two together. The cord looked ordinary enough, but it wasn't. Interwoven strands of silver, lead, and bast, the inner bark of trees, made the cord able to hold back anything, Nightworld or Day. In less than a minute, it looked as though Taliesin and a drowsy friend were riding double on a motorcycle. Not odd in the slightest, especially in a place like New York.
Taliesin wasn't really paying attention to any of this. It was all he could do not to fall of his bike when Habbakkuk put Nicodemus down. If only eye contact sent his mind spiralling out of control, physical contact was worse. It was painful. Every place Nicodemus's body touched his, it felt like he was leaning against an electric fence. Not enough pain to knock him unconscious, but enough so that the shapeshifter was fidgeting in his seat. Fortunately, no one really seemed to take notice. Oberon squinted at him strangely for a moment, but the look passed almost as soon as it came.
Lenny and Habbakkuk got back on their bikes, Oberon leapt into the rear seat of Guenhyvar's motorcycle, and they were off again. Taliesin gritted his teeth, revved the motor. He couldn't do anything about the strange electric feeling, couldn't help feeling helpless because of it. Couldn't help feeling angry because he was helpless. The shapeshifter snarled silently, letting his temper be hidden by his helmet.
Of course, Nicodemus picked that moment to wake up. Taliesin knew he was coming to, had a few seconds warning, long enough to make sure that Guenhyvar was close by, in case he tried to make a break for it. "Wha-?!" Grogginess turned to anger and fear. "Who are you? Where are you taking me?" Taliesin ignored him. Why should he answer? "What do you want?" Still the shapeshifter ignored him, let the confused voice behind him get lost in the wind.
The ropes that tied the two together were moving, more than they should have. He was trying to escape. Taliesin did a sharp turn into an alleyway, an alleyway they had already passed by a few feet. If the ropes had given the slightest bit more, Taliesin's passenger would have been a corpse. As it was, Nicodemus had to hold onto Taliesin's stomach tightly to make sure he didn't fall off.
"You're a fool. Did you honestly think that I wouldn't notice you loosening the ropes?" Taliesin hissed, using one arm to shove Nicodemus to the ground. It had been too easy to knock him over, Taliesin realized. Another thing that didn't bode well.
Nicodemus just sighed, lying there on the ground as the other three motorcycles halted around him. "I don't have any money on me. If I did, I'd have given it to you-!"
He was cut off by Guenhyvar chuckling. "DO you really think we need money?" she said, her voice soft and cold. "You SHOULD know what we are, and that ought to be enough to prove that we don't need cash." She stared at Taliesin as she spoke, proving her point. The shapeshifter shook his head slowly. Humans couldn't turn themselves into electric fences.
"Look, I don't have a clue who you guys are! Is this a gang war or something, because I swear I'm not involved!" He was sweating. Guen nodded again, meeting Taliesin's gaze.
Oberon laughed from his seat behind Guenhyvar. "A gang?! That's rich! How dumb could you be?"
"JIMMY???" Seeing Oberon somehow made Nicodemus understand, made him very afraid. Oberon wasn't playing the innocent child anymore. Now he looked like a sadistic person several years older, all because of changes in posture and speech, and his blue eyes gleamed metallic in the street lamps.
"Yeah, Jimmy, mhmm." Lenore muttered. "Now that we have gotten introductions over with, can we please get home? I'm hungry, and I'd prefer not to eat out."
Habbakkuk chuckled, stared directly at Nicodemus. Though this guy had to be nearly as tall as Habbakkuk, he did not look it as he stared dumbly upwards at the werewolf.
"Habbakkuk, would you help me get him back up here?" Why not use fear to your advantage, Taliesin wondered. Habbakkuk had an idea of what the shapeshifter was trying to do, loomed over Nicodemus to appropriate effect.
"No!" he shouted, his voice a strangled gasp. "No, I can get back in my seat," he said softly, with a coating of false calm on each word. He proved to be telling the truth as he got up on his own, sat in the seat. He seemed to lean back from Taliesin a little. It made the shapeshifter wonder, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. The girls didn't let him keep his distance anyway, as they pulled the two together with the length of rope.
They were off again, and it only took perhaps ten more minutes of riding for them to reach the safehouse. The girls quickly untied Nicodemus, and Habbakkuk carried him bodily inside.
"What, so you won't carry him?" Lenore asked with a wicked grin. "Does that mean I get to ride with you?"
Guenhyvar just shook her head. "Not unless Obie is tall enough to drive your motorcycle for you." A hopeful look crossed Oberon's face, but Guenhyvar shook her head again.
"I'm not riding with THAT," Habbakkuk repeated obstinantly, as though Nicodemus was something to be reviled. If Guen was right, if Nicodemus was human, then he was.
Taliesin just stared at his team with a mixture of contempt and humor. "FINE! I'll take him, if it'll make you all so bloody happy!" The shapeshifter sat straighter in his seat, fixed them each in turn with his amber-eyed glare. "But you had all better help get him onto my bike and make sure he'll stay there," he growled.
Habbakkuk picked up Nicodemus and placed him on the seat behind Taliesin, all the while acting as though there was an offensive odor in the air. Guenhyvar and Lenore quickly used a length of rope to tie the two together. The cord looked ordinary enough, but it wasn't. Interwoven strands of silver, lead, and bast, the inner bark of trees, made the cord able to hold back anything, Nightworld or Day. In less than a minute, it looked as though Taliesin and a drowsy friend were riding double on a motorcycle. Not odd in the slightest, especially in a place like New York.
Taliesin wasn't really paying attention to any of this. It was all he could do not to fall of his bike when Habbakkuk put Nicodemus down. If only eye contact sent his mind spiralling out of control, physical contact was worse. It was painful. Every place Nicodemus's body touched his, it felt like he was leaning against an electric fence. Not enough pain to knock him unconscious, but enough so that the shapeshifter was fidgeting in his seat. Fortunately, no one really seemed to take notice. Oberon squinted at him strangely for a moment, but the look passed almost as soon as it came.
Lenny and Habbakkuk got back on their bikes, Oberon leapt into the rear seat of Guenhyvar's motorcycle, and they were off again. Taliesin gritted his teeth, revved the motor. He couldn't do anything about the strange electric feeling, couldn't help feeling helpless because of it. Couldn't help feeling angry because he was helpless. The shapeshifter snarled silently, letting his temper be hidden by his helmet.
Of course, Nicodemus picked that moment to wake up. Taliesin knew he was coming to, had a few seconds warning, long enough to make sure that Guenhyvar was close by, in case he tried to make a break for it. "Wha-?!" Grogginess turned to anger and fear. "Who are you? Where are you taking me?" Taliesin ignored him. Why should he answer? "What do you want?" Still the shapeshifter ignored him, let the confused voice behind him get lost in the wind.
The ropes that tied the two together were moving, more than they should have. He was trying to escape. Taliesin did a sharp turn into an alleyway, an alleyway they had already passed by a few feet. If the ropes had given the slightest bit more, Taliesin's passenger would have been a corpse. As it was, Nicodemus had to hold onto Taliesin's stomach tightly to make sure he didn't fall off.
"You're a fool. Did you honestly think that I wouldn't notice you loosening the ropes?" Taliesin hissed, using one arm to shove Nicodemus to the ground. It had been too easy to knock him over, Taliesin realized. Another thing that didn't bode well.
Nicodemus just sighed, lying there on the ground as the other three motorcycles halted around him. "I don't have any money on me. If I did, I'd have given it to you-!"
He was cut off by Guenhyvar chuckling. "DO you really think we need money?" she said, her voice soft and cold. "You SHOULD know what we are, and that ought to be enough to prove that we don't need cash." She stared at Taliesin as she spoke, proving her point. The shapeshifter shook his head slowly. Humans couldn't turn themselves into electric fences.
"Look, I don't have a clue who you guys are! Is this a gang war or something, because I swear I'm not involved!" He was sweating. Guen nodded again, meeting Taliesin's gaze.
Oberon laughed from his seat behind Guenhyvar. "A gang?! That's rich! How dumb could you be?"
"JIMMY???" Seeing Oberon somehow made Nicodemus understand, made him very afraid. Oberon wasn't playing the innocent child anymore. Now he looked like a sadistic person several years older, all because of changes in posture and speech, and his blue eyes gleamed metallic in the street lamps.
"Yeah, Jimmy, mhmm." Lenore muttered. "Now that we have gotten introductions over with, can we please get home? I'm hungry, and I'd prefer not to eat out."
Habbakkuk chuckled, stared directly at Nicodemus. Though this guy had to be nearly as tall as Habbakkuk, he did not look it as he stared dumbly upwards at the werewolf.
"Habbakkuk, would you help me get him back up here?" Why not use fear to your advantage, Taliesin wondered. Habbakkuk had an idea of what the shapeshifter was trying to do, loomed over Nicodemus to appropriate effect.
"No!" he shouted, his voice a strangled gasp. "No, I can get back in my seat," he said softly, with a coating of false calm on each word. He proved to be telling the truth as he got up on his own, sat in the seat. He seemed to lean back from Taliesin a little. It made the shapeshifter wonder, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. The girls didn't let him keep his distance anyway, as they pulled the two together with the length of rope.
They were off again, and it only took perhaps ten more minutes of riding for them to reach the safehouse. The girls quickly untied Nicodemus, and Habbakkuk carried him bodily inside.