Angel Blackwood(55)
I walk through the empty house, thankful that most of the pack is down by the lake. I walk to the kitchen and decide to exit through that door, just incase someone is in the living room; especially as I can hear the TV on.
“Angel?” I jump at the sound of Jacob’s gruff voice.
“Sorry, Jacob, didn’t see you sitting there,” I turn giving him a sheepish smile.
He’s sitting at the kitchen island eating pizza.
“Where you off to?” He asks with a raised eyebrow.
I point back to the door. “I… Uh… decided I’d go join the others at the lake.” He can probably smell the lie, but I stand firm and give him my most innocent smile. He gives me a weary look, then nods as I turn to leave.
“What’s going on with you and my nephews?” He blurts out. This time my steps do falter.
I swallow and turn around to face him. “What do you mean?”
He raises an eyebrow again. “First time you showed up here you had them wrapped around your little finger acting like love sick puppies, now you’re all trying your best to avoid each other.”
I look down at the ground unsure of how to respond. I can feel him trying to creep into my head and hear my thoughts, but I keep my walls firmly in place.
“Do you think that because your parents are busy, they won’t notice what’s going on in your life? You have many eyes watching you, Angel. Sooner or later all those secrets that you’re holding in that vault inside that head of yours will be out in the open. The sooner you realise that your pack is here for you and that you can trust us, the sooner you can get rid of the burden weighing so heavily on your shoulders.”
He speaks with such honesty. It sounds like my father speaking, even though its Jacob’s voice I hear.
He nods his head toward the door. “You be safe out there at the lake now.” He gives me a genuine smile. I walk backwards and turn to open the door.
“Just call out to me if you ever need help.”
He leaves me with those parting words. I quickly leave the kitchen and run into the clearing of the woods.
****
Trudging my way towards the witch’s camp, I make sure to keep my eyes and ears open to any unusual sounds around me. Patrol always change their routes, so I have no idea which area the guards are tracking tonight.
Jacobs’s words filter through my thoughts. Does he know about what’s been going on? I wonder if he knows that the twins are my mates. The way he spoke and the words he chose were something I’d hear coming from my father’s mouth, so I have no idea if my father asked him to question me or whether he is truly concerned.
A branch snapping to my right awakens my senses and I hide behind a thick tree. I’m closer to the witch camp and can see the compounds dim lights in the distance. I close my eyes and listen.
It’s quiet now, too quiet. I open my eyes turning right to look behind the thick tree. Nothing. I turn my head left to look on the other side.
Cold hands suddenly cover my mouth and my scream. I elbow the attacker in the ribs and a definite male grunt fills the silence in the woods. He lets go of me and I turn to find Fabian hunched over holding his ribs.
“Dammit, woman!” he wheezes, trying to catch his breath.
“If you want to come up behind me like that, best you expect an elbow to the ribs,” I say casually, enjoying the fact that I just got one up on him this time.
“Why are you sneaking around the woods anyway? What are you doing here?” He says, finally able to catch his breath and standing to his full height once again.
I look up at him. “I came to see your mom. She asked me to.”
“For God’s sake. That woman is just asking for trouble.” I watch as he rolls his eyes and curses.
“Angel? Is that you?” I hear a soft feminine voice call out through the bushes to my left.
“Phoenix?” Fabian calls out confused.
“Fabian? What the heck?” Phoenix makes her way through some bushes and when her eyes find Fabian and me standing side my side she pulls a weird face.
“Uh.” her lips form a straight line and she looks as if she’s been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
“You weren’t supposed to be home tonight,” Phoenix says sheepishly.
“I knew you and my mother were up to something.” He looks back to me. “You should go back to your pack.”
“I’m going to see Noelle whether you like it or not.” I move to walk past, but he blocks my path with his tall frame. “No, you’re not going anywhere near her.”
I fold my arms over my chest and crack my neck back to look up at him. “Do we have to go over this again? Did you forget what happened the last time you tried to stop me?” From the corner of my eye I can see Phoenix fidgeting nervously.