Snippet #2686963

The vent was coated with cobwebs and held a dank, disgusting air to it. Eve was forced to fight back sneezes and sounds of disgust, along with hisses of pain as she army-crawled her cut and bruise body across the metallic floor. Charlie's sobs had diminished and she could no longer hear them, making it impossible to find her without blindly crawling through the vents, but she wasn't worried about the girl no longer being alive - she could still make out the faint smell that was her life force, despite her unchanged state.

After a few minutes of blindly crawling, she finally huffed and stopped. She had no idea where she was going, and she was surrounded by the enemy. Even if she found Charlie and somehow managed to escape with her, they had no idea where they were or even what city they were near - if they were near one. It could be hours to the nearest town, and even without knowing Charlie's current state of being, Eve knew for a fact that she wouldn't last a trek that long. That's to say if they didn't get caught, because who knew how many people were at the warehouse, and how many people were scouting the perimeters and guarding it. They could be running head-long into the same people that wanted them dead, and Eve couldn't take those risks - not with Charlie's life at stake. Now, if it was just Eve, it wouldn't be as dangerous - she could easily hide herself. But to hide not one, but two injured, unchanged, female wolves in enemy territory? That was an incredible feat in and of itself.

As she mulled over her options, she quirked her head. A small sound of metal grinding on metal filled the air, and a split second later, the bottom to the vent screeched and gave out under her weight, which had been placed fully upon a weak point for far too long. Her eyes widened and in an instant she plummeted to the ground below.

Landing in a heap of dust and metal, Eve groaned and slowly rolled onto her back.

Only to look straight into the faces of three of the men patrolling the hallways.

"Well, would ya' lookee 'ere," one of them snickered. A disgusting hand shot out, gripping her wrist roughly and yanking her to her feet, nearly dislocating her shoulder in the process. He pulled her body against his, her back to his front, and wrapped both arms around her, one hand reaching up to grip her jaw. Pressing his face against hers, he breathed heavily in her ear, his one hand freely roaming over her body.

"Looks like we found th' 'scaped princess, di'n't we, boys?"

The two other men snickered, reaching out to poke and prod at her blood-soaked clothes and -streaked skin.

"I think we oughtt' have some fun with th' princess before we return 'er t' Royce. What about y' boys?"

The disgusting men nodded in response, and with a revolted sound, Eve drove her elbow into the man's gut. He released her with a grunt, and she managed to stumble almost completely out of his reached before he grabbed her wrist once more, yanking her back over. He spun her so their fronts collided, once again gripping her face, but this time pressing his hand across her mouth. He pushed her stumbling back into a wall, trapping her roughly against it.

"I'm goin' to have a bit of fun with y' before I return y', understand?" he snickered out, an evil glint flashing through his eyes. His hand fumbled at the bottom of her torn shirt, attempting to find an entry point, and in an that brief moment he loosened his hand just enough for her to open her mouth and clamp down on his fingers - hard. With a howl of pain, her ripped the hand away before using the opposite one to backhand her across the face. Her cheek exploded with throbbing and for a moment she saw stars, her previous head injuries and concussion not helping her current state. She fell to the floor, and before she could move, a hand wrapped around her ankle and she was yanked and pulled until she was being held upside down above the floor by one of the men.

"Now listen here - either you're going to cooperate for us, or we're going to rape you so violently that you're dear mommy and daddy are going to hear your screams all the way back home, " he snarled. He dropped her immediately afterwards, and the only shield she hand from the floor was her arms. She connected hard, causing a small, unfiltered sob to escape her lips. Her entire body hurt at this point - almost to the point where she couldn't move. Lifting one trembling hand, she dropped it to the floor as her energy disappeared entirely, leaving her body limp. Her vision darkened and flickered around the edges, and the men's voices echoed in her brain, as though she were hearing it on a different level entirely.

"Good girl - it's about time you gave in."

"You can have first dibs, big guy - and from the looks of it, I think she may yet be a virgin."

"I'm goin' t' enjoy fucking this lil' one ..."

The dim awareness remained as a hand encircle her calf. Her skin felt as though it were sliding, and the lights above her flickered and changed, the ceiling moving as the man dragged her to God-knew-where. A small blood-streak was left behind her body on the shining, white floor, and before she knew what was happening, a door was slammed, the lights were dimmed, and she was thrown roughly onto a couch.

It was then that the disgusting man was on top of her, his breath revolting and causing bile to threaten at the back of her throat. Tears stung in her eyes, which she pressed tightly shut, and she evened her breathing in an attempt to push through what was about to happen to her.

Her mother and father would come for her.

Aziel would come for her.

Russell would come for her.

Silver would come for her.

The images of the faces of those that she loved and cared about - of those that she held dear to her heart - flashed before her closed lids. The love in their faces was immense, even as memories of the day haunted her. The small thought that those were the last words that she would ever exchange with Aziel held a chilling effect on her body, and a couple of tears escaped her closed lids.

"You don't know me. You couldn't possibly know anything about me! I can't protect myself? Don't you dare pretend to know anything about me, Big Brother, when you haven't been there to see or even bother to get to know me. I'm not the one who left, and I'm not the one who abandoned his family.

Tightening her lips, more memories of her words echoed in her brain.

"I can't even stand to be in here. The air's too toxic."

The man's revolting touch on her body caused a soft sob to escape her lips, mixed with the pain of regret of words long said and passed. Perhaps this was her punishment for being insolent and cruel - hotheaded and ill-tempered.

The soft words of a prayer filtered through her lips, as the religions that she had studied throughout the world held a great importance in her life.

Behold me, my beloved Jesus,
weighed down under the burden of my trials and sufferings,
I cast myself at Your feet,
that You may renew my strength and my courage,
while I rest here in Your Presence.
Permit me to lay down my cross in Your Sacred Heart,
for only Your infinite goodness can sustain me;
only Your love can help me bear my cross;
only Your powerful hand can lighten its weight.
O Divine King, Jesus,
whose heart is so compassionate to the afflicted,
I wish to live in You;
suffer and die in You.
During my life be to me my model and my support;
At the hour of my death,
be my hope and my refuge.

---

The ride with Russell that followed the events at the bar was quiet and uneventful - almost a bit awkward, if Peter could pinpoint a word for the situation. He could feel the anger radiating off of Russell, yet knew it wasn't aimed towards him but instead the situation and the men that took his pack's women. It wasn't just a mentality of it being the women of the pack - it was also the mentality that it was members of the pack in general. His rage, however, was balanced a bit too precariously on the edge of dangerous, so in an attempt to diffuse the situation a bit, Peter straightened and listened patiently to Russell's words.

"I don't get it. Why would hunters take two females that have yet to shift? Unless they're looking for the pack. But even then there was a lot of wolves in that bar, they'd have no reason to believe that wasn't our pack to begin with. If they were wolves then it would make since. They'd want the two for their pack. Since they haven't shifted yet, they haven't officially established an alpha. Makes them much easier to mold."

"I've heard stories about rogues doping up captured females to get them under control. Not to mention psychological damage that could be used to change a person. A person's mind is much more fragile than we like to think."

"But those hunters were humans weren't they? I didn't sense any werewolves. What the hell do they want with them? Dammit, I should have been faster. If I was faster I could have stopped the van. This is all my fault."

"Sorry...it's just this pack....my pack....they aren't my first pack. I was in a rough place before I met them, and they still took me in. I owe them too much to let this happen."

After a few moments of mulling over Russell's words, Peter's cleared his throat and spoke.

"You're correct in your viewpoint of it not making any sense - and it doesn't make any sense to me either. Why would they attack that bar at that specific time - and when strangers to the bar arrived? That's the part that stumped me at first. But then I thought - what if it was planned? What if they had been following you since you arrived in town - or even longer than that? Wherever you came from, perhaps they were following you from there. I'm guessing that you came from your pack's territory - who's to say that there aren't Rogues hell-bent on destroying your pack that have been watching the whole lot of you for some time now - planning this attack?"

Peter chuckled a bit, shaking his head. "As for doping those girls up ... I believe the only one that there's a chance of that happening with is the tinier, doll-like one - Charlie was her name, if I remember correctly. The girl is smart and has a keen awareness of details, but she seems a bit weak-willed. I feel she would be easier to manipulate, or torture into submission. The other one - Eve - seems too stubborn to allow that to happen to her. I don't know who you're more concerned about because of your own separate emotional feelings towards them as individuals and not just as pack members, but it should ease your worry to know that Eve would never allow that to happen to herself, and would put her own life at stake to keep it from happening to Charlie."

Leaning back in his seat and studying the surroundings that they passed, he smothered a small sigh.

"From what I can tell, you aren't a bad person - a bit out of control, yes, but not bad. If anything, you're one of the pure-intended people I've met. I know that those girls don't blame you for what happened, and I know that they wouldn't expect you to blame yourself, either. None of this could have been prevented unless someone had known it was going to happen - but no one did. It was a petty ambush launched when everyone's backs were turned, and the people that attacked us must live with their cowardice for the rest of their days. But it's not your fault, Russell - it's not your fault," he said sternly, turning his head to look at the other man. "I saw the way that you fought back there, and your wounds are proof enough of it. I'm sure the girls know that you did your damnedest to help them, and when they see you, I expect that they'll give you a good ol' snogging as a thanks," he winked, grinning a bet. "Because we're going to save their princess-in-distress asses and take them back home."

Hopping from the vehicle as it rolled to a stop, he stretched slightly, his joints popping. He was ready for anything, his senses heightened in his awareness.

"Trust me - I won't be leaving you all on your lonesome today. You're stuck with my annoying, British, perverted ass," he chuckled, crossing over so that he stood nearer to Russell. "You can't get rid of me quite yet. I'm eager to see the outcome of this fight, and I'm most definitely rooting for you guys."

Their quick and quiet travel through the forest brought them to the outskirts of a large warehouse. When they dropped down on top of a highly-positioned hill where they could see the base, but the base couldn't see them, he studied it intensely.

"We've got one advantage. Numbers. The two of us can slip by them without detection. Once we're inside we need to rely on our sense of hearing, and smell. If you focus hard enough you can practically distinguish them from their heartbeats. Our senses are going to keep us alive in there. You need to trust your instincts. Like I said before this isn't your fight, you can walk away right now. I won't hold it against you."

Without even looking at the other man, he shoved his shoulder slightly.

"Like I said before, you won't be rid of me yet, so don't offer for me to run away again - I'm not a scared little pup that's about to tinkle his pants and run away with his tail tucked between his legs," he chuckled. After a moment of silence, he spoke again, this time with a bit less lightheartedness. "Sometimes the right path ... It isn't the easiest one. To tell you the truth ... I know what it's like to lose your pack. I know what it's like to watch the ones that you love be ripped from existence right before your eyes. When I saw the look on your face back at the bar ... It reminded me of myself from not too long ago. I wasn't about to let you do this on your own, because I know how difficult it can be," he explained. Heaving a small sigh, he shook his head and chuckled. "And besides - I can tell that you have a bit more invested in this than just the packs best interest. You care about one of them - more than you should, don't you?" he asked, quirking his head to the side. When he was met with silence, he clapped a hand onto the other man's back.

"Well, if I can give you a word of advice, mate - after all is said and done and those two girls are out of harm's way, I would recommend admitting your feelings out loud instead of hiding behind them because you're scared of a rejection. I'm sure whoever it is, they'll accept them. Or at least admit them to yourself. Sometimes that's the first step to having the courage to say them to their face," he explained. Moving a bit away from Russell, he finished with, "And as shown today, you don't always have all of the time in the world to tell them. Now, let's go. We'll rendezvous back here if anything goes wrong. I'll go for Charlie and you can go for Evangeline. Whistle if you need help and I'll come straight there - and same goes for me, alright?"

With that, he disappeared down the slope, ensuring that he wasn't seen before doing so.

Peter made quick work of the wire fencing that surrounded the warehouse, breathing in relief that it wasn't electrified. Sliding through the hole that he had created, he took off at a low run towards the large building, pressing himself against a wall a two humans passed the position he was previously in. The main priority was rescuing the girls - the killing and pain could happen after, once they had backup.

Kicking out a vent set low to the ground, he shimmied inside and closed it behind him. It was one of the smarter ways to travel, seeing as he was less likely to be seen and could find the rooms quite a bit easier than he could while walking.

It didn't take long for him to reach the room with Charlie - her sobs echoed throughout the warehouse and cause a slight boil in his bloodstream. When he finally found the vent leading into the large area, he was positioned slightly above and to the right of one of them men towering over the blood-streaked girl. She was almost unrecognizable due to her bloodied state, but the brown locks and her scent were unforgettable.

As one of the men reached for her once more, he quickly dropped through the metal cover and landed directly behind one of the men in a nearly-silent swoop.

"Now, is that any way to treat a lady?"

The man went to whip around, but his human movement was far slower than Peter's wolf-enhanced eyes. In an instant he had the man's wrist in his grasp. A mere squeeze of his hand shattered the bones, causing the man to howl in pain. Before he could lift his gun, Peter caught his other elbow and turned him around, aiming and firing the pistol at the same time that he positioned it on the other man in the room. The sound ricocheted, the bullet sliding directly through his skull, and the man collapsed to the floor in a heap. Flipping the wrist upwards with another snap, he pulled the trigger once again and sent a bullet up and through the soft part of the under jaw of the man he held, instantly releasing him so he, too, could fall.

When the door flew open to reveal two more armored men, he easily under-hand threw a knife across the room. It connected with one of the men's eye, causing him to stumble and quickly collapse, and one shot from the gun sent the other crumbling to the ground.

With a moment of relief from the men, Peter crossed quickly to Charlie's slumped figure. Pressing his hand to her cheeks, he lifted her head so that he could look into her face, crouching so he was at her height.

"Charlie ... Charlie ... Look at me," he whispered, lightly patting one of her cheeks. Wiping a bit of the mixture of blood and tears from her face, he peered into her eyes. "I'm here to help you - with Russell. But I need you to trust me and work with me on this, okay?" he said. Turning to her ropes, he went to grip one, only to pull his fingers back with a hiss of pain, steam roiling upwards from his skin. "Wolfsbane?" he hissed out. A quick shake of his head sent him back into action. Ignoring the burning it caused his fingers, he tore the ropes from her wrists and ankles and in one swift motion he swooped her into his arms. Clearly the vent from above wasn't an option - she could barely stand, let alone pull herself up and into it. A quick survey of his surroundings wasn't very enthusing for his cause, so the door was his only option.

Setting Charlie on her feet for a moment and holding her with one arm, he stripped off his shirt and wrapped it around her upper body. "I need you to trust me, Charlie - can you do that?"