Ansuya’s voice cut through his reorienting musings. “Change back quickly, and get off the ground.”
William let his ears twist around as they tried to find any sounds of immediate danger. He took just a moment to confirm that there wasn’t anybody around that he could hear or smell. Having satisfied himself, he pushed himself up from the dirt and changed back into his human form.
His clothes reappeared in the exact same way they had been when he had changed into werewolf form. He understood Nicolas’s enthusiasm, it was pretty cool. After taking a moment to marvel at the clothes thing, he looked up and took account of his pack.
Katherine, Nicolas, and Charles were all back in their human forms, while Aceso was back in her wolf form. Alexiares was standing next to Ansuya as she fastened the leather collar around his neck. It took Katherine a moment to get herself together before she finally remembered about the collar that she was holding, belonging to Aceso. She bent down and clasped the leather strap around the she-wolf’s neck. William could tell that Aceso didn’t like that collar at all, but she accepted it. Katherine stood up holding the stupid thing while Aceso stood next to her. Her head was rotating around and her ears were moving around her head as she tried to detect anything that might warn them of danger.
William had no real idea of what time it was. He looked east to see the false dusk that L.A. formed on the horizon. It could be three o’clock in the morning or it could be six o’clock, there was really no way for him to tell, short of a clock. He figured that he didn’t really need to know what time it was anyway.
Ansuya looked at all of them as William brought his attention back to her. She said, “You all did very well. You controlled your fear and anxiety.” She glanced back over her shoulder, “The inability to control those two things is one of the Whyte Plain’s deadliest weapons.” She looked around briefly. “I have done my part, Nicolas. Now, it is your time.”
The scout looked around uneasily. He wasn’t sure about where to go or what to do. William could read it in his body language. Suddenly he pointed, “That way.”
Ansuya glanced down at Alexiares and the wolf shook his head and body, like he was trying to dry himself off. Ansuya smiled wryly and took a few steps toward Nicolas. “And what is ‘that way,’ Nicolas?”
The brown-haired New Yorker was stuck. William could see his various muscles flexing in consternation under his clothes. Finally he admitted, “I don’t know, ok. I have no idea why you brought us all out here. I can’t remember anything.”
The beautiful elder folded her arms underneath her breasts. “And lying would make up for that deficiency?”
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Nicolas was trapped by her gaze and her posture. He couldn’t move although his body was struggling to get away as his muscles pulsed and flexed involuntarily. The scout remained silent looking everywhere but at the elder.
Ansuya took a step closer to him,“Nicolas” she said in a powerful but low voice, “look at me.”
Nicolas hung his head and turned it up to glance at her out of the corner of his eye. He froze in place looking at the elder much as he had back in the underground cavern. Then he moved again. He squared his shoulders and stood up straight facing her. Ansuya’s eyes were locked with his. Nicolas’s muscles immediately stopped flexing and his shoulders visibly relaxed. Neither of them spoke and once Nicolas was standing straight in front of the elder, he ceased to move at all. Nicolas looked proud and strong in her presence. He was standing at a relaxed attention in front of her with his hands by his sides. His back was straight and his head was held high.
Ansuya held his gaze for long moments. She finally said in a full voice, “Where are we going, Nicolas?”
The scout remained standing at attention. His full attention was on the dark skinned elder in front of him. He was breathing deeply and his eyes were fully alert. When he spoke, his voice was calm and steady. “To a place called The House of Eden.”
The elder wasn’t satisfied with that answer. “Where is that, Nicolas?”
“East Ash Avenue, to the south east.” He pointed in that direction.
Ansuya wasn’t done with the scout. She took another step closer to Nicolas. Her body was almost touching his. Nicolas inhaled deeply. Ansuya moved her head in close to his and whispered something in his ear. Nicolas lips parted and he breathed an answer that William couldn’t hear. Ansuya stepped back away from him, “Thank you, Nicolas.”
Immediately the scout was tense again. He seemed shocked that the elder was standing so close to him and it obviously made him very uncomfortable. He slid his leg back behind him as he tried to put some separation between himself and the elder. It wasn’t as smooth as he probably would have liked.
Ansuya walked back toward Alexiares and grabbed his leash. She looked at all of them. Her eyes remained on William for a long while. He looked deep into those infinite brown eyes. There was something entrancing about her eyes, he could look at them all day if he could. Ansuya moved her eyes to take in the whole group. “This place is a little farther away than I would have liked, and we don’t have much time. We will move quickly, don’t get distracted.” With that the elder strode off in the direction that Nicolas had pointed out to her.
William followed as Katherine loosely held Aceso’s leash in hand, allowing Aceso to lead, with or without the collar and leash. William didn’t need to wonder about what kind of place The House of Eden was but he had to wonder why they were going there. The name of the place brought to mind images of a strip club, not that he could be sure. The only reason anybody went to a strip club was to see girls get naked. If that was in fact what the place was, in his mind Nicolas had even less taste than he thought if he could describe a stripper as ‘elegant.’
Ansuya wasn’t kidding when she had told them they would move quickly. Her heels were barely audible on the cement as she strode faster and faster through the city streets. The pace was murderous at a walk. This was power walking to a whole other level. He had to jump-skip often just to keep up.