By choice or by force Ch. 04

Laurie had moved across to the window, and pulled back the curtain so that she could look out into the darkness. She took hold of the lower window frame and tugged hard.

The window creaked and groaned in protest and then budged up about half an inch. The chill of the air rushed in and with a little sob of hope she gripped harder and pulled up. Again it groaned loudly and then nudged up again, but then it wedged tight and no matter how much she pulled pushed and tugged it would not move any more.

Michael was close by; he had told her that he and James, and Iris and even Aunt Trudy were all on their way to rescue her.

She was still more than a little fazed by the fact that his thoughts could suddenly pop into her head like that, and that she could actually reply to them too!

This was a talent that she had never possessed before, not even with her sister who was the closest person in Laurie's life - until now.

In the time that she had been locked and alone in this room, she had tried to make contact with Iris, and her aunt, but it was like a blank wall was between them. There was nothing - just nothing to latch on to.

With Michael though all she had to do was think about him and it was as if was waiting there just behind her eye lids.

She looked out of the window hopefully, but could not see much outside of the range of lighting from the house, but it did not stop her from staring out there anyway, there was certainly nothing in the room to inspire her to seek comfort in it.

The room looked like it had not been used in a decade or more. The bed consisted of a grubby looking mattress and a couple of dirty looking pillows, but no sheets or blankets or anything, to garner any comfort from.

The smell in this room reminded her of wet dog, and stale urine. She wrinkled her nose again in disgust and leaned against the window, more trying to get fresh air now than trying to see outside.

She glanced down at the driveway and frowned.

She could clearly see the men milling around below, and she scowled down at them irritably.

They were the fiends who had abducted her. Just as all of her dreams and fantasies were about to come true, those animals had ripped her from her life and her would be mate. She pulled a little face, and then childishly she stuck her tongue out at them.

Luckily none of them bothered to look up, and see her loss of dignity, since they were too busy gawping at the powerful car which appeared as if from nowhere, and then stopped a few yards away from them.

The engine continued to purr almost sinisterly for a few moments longer, before silencing again, and as the car's engine died, the men walked quickly - almost anxiously across to greet the owner of the vehicle.

The front door opened, and a man climbed out, a man whose face Laurie could not make out too well, but whose bearing and clothing spoke of wealth and strength even from where she stood watching.

He ignored the men drawing in on him, and instead moved to open the rear car door to allow the passenger to step out as well.

Laurie looked down at the group, and at the two newcomers.

She gave a little shudder as she instantly saw and recognised the raw power of the second man, who was now standing just beneath her window, and prayed that she would never have to face him directly.

She just did not have the strength left to resist another one of these stronger men, and he was stronger, she could tell that from the way the other men were responding to him.

Suddenly he looked up - as though he had heard her - or sensed her, and his searching eyes quickly found the source of his scrutiny.

Laurie whimpered as she tried to step back into the shadows.

"Stay!" The voice in her head was not Michael, it was not reassuring; it did not sooth or calm her.

It made her eyes glow with a dark deep blue shine, and the man beneath her frowned, as he sensed her resistance, even as she stepped back out of his view.

She hesitated for a second, almost tempted to step forward and take another peek, but she was stopped by the sounds of voices, or rather one voice, and it was raised in anger.

She turned her back on the shouts below her window, and as the sounds of some sort of a commotion entered the house downstairs, she ran towards the door, grabbing a chair, which she dragged with her, and then jammed under the door handle.

She knew that it would not do any good, that at worst it would inconvenience them, but she was damned if she was going to just sit there and wait meekly for them - for him, to come and get her.

She could hear voices down stairs, and the voices were becoming more and more agitated.

The voices grew louder as their owners came quickly towards her room, and Laurie stood in the centre and wrapped her arms around herself.

Her moment of defiance fled, and now she was simply terrified. These men had abducted her for a reason, and she was afraid that she would shortly discover what that reason was.

Laurie was not sure that she was that curious about it - she was not sure that she wanted to know.

"Michael!" she cried out desperately into the vaults of her mind. "They are coming for me... He is coming for me... Michael! Don't let him get me!"

The curtain at the window fluttered, and a breeze touched her cheek.

The door handle jiggled, and the door curved a little, rocking at the chair jammed against it, but causing the legs to dig deeper into what was left of the carpet.

"Open this damn door!" An enraged male voice boomed from the other side. "You stupid little bitch - you'll pay for this!"

"Michael!" she whispered. "Where are you?"

There was a loud thud, and the door shuddered.

"Michael!" she sobbed.

There was another thud, and the chair warped a little - but still it held fast.

"Michael!" she wept out loud, as she wrapped her arms tighter around herself in a pathetic attempt at self-protection. "Michael, save me!"

"I'm here Laurie."

The husky male voice was calm and reassuring, and it began to immediately sooth her.

His hot muscular arms wrapped around her, and the warmth of his breath tickled her neck, and it was then that Laurie realised that he was not in her mind, but in her room.

"Oh Michael!" she sighed with relief as she leaned back against him. As her body made contact with his warm, lean length, she looked up at him in surprise. "Michael where are your clothes?"

There was another thud, against the door, and then another, and then another.

Laurie closed her eyes and cowered into Michael as he held her tightly to him.

Suddenly the door was forced off its hinges, and it fell into the room, taking half of the door frame with it, and landing with a loud crash on top of the now fallen and broken chair.

Men spilled into the room, distracted for a moment as they clambered over and kicked away the debris of the door and the chair, and then stumbled to a halt as they found not the cowering young woman whom they had locked in here, but what looked like a man and resembled a tall raging beast, who stood tall and proud and naked, as he cradled the woman protectively even as he glared at them with a cold terrifying hatred.

The man from outside, strode in as a stunned silence descended on them all.

He walked calmly across the room, shouldering some of the men out of the way without even noticing it seemed.

He came to halt directly in front of the cold malevolent fury of the young man, and stood silent for a moment, as his eyes met and held Michael's.

Suddenly one of his eye brows lifted slightly over one of his dark brown eyes.

"Michael," he nodded calmly. "It's good to see you again?"

"Uncle Mathew," Michael nodded back guardedly.

Laurie peeped out at the man, who she had so feared meeting, and felt the first hints of relief.

True there was an energy in his dark eyes, that she recognised immediately. And true he looked strong although not quite as tall as any of the men in this room.

He had a bearing about him - an air about him that spoke of confidence and self-assurance, and even though he was older than any of the men here, she felt that he could crush any and all of them without so much as breaking a sweat - if he chose to do so.

"Who..?"

"What?"

Two young muscular men stepped closer, and Laurie recognised them immediately.

"I know you two... Ben and Mark!" she gasped out as she remembered the last meeting that she and her sister Iris had had to endure with these men.

"Laurie," Ben nodded a little apologetically.

"You kidnapped me!" Laurie accused hotly as a burst of anger rushed through her. "Why have you brought me here?"

He flushed awkwardly as his eyes flickered to 'Uncle Mathew' and then to Michael, before returning to her.

"It's not what it might look like!"

"No?" Michael asked in a low dangerous tone.

"No... it... I..." his face flushed darker and darker, and his eyes looked anywhere and everywhere, but he could not look at either Michael or his uncle anymore.

The air in the room was becoming more and more strained, and Laurie whimpered as she pressed herself tighter to Michael, who still could not quite believe that the man, who he might have to fight to the death, was a member of his own family.

He had been shocked so many times today, but standing outside in the darkness and seeing his relative climb out of that car had almost had him running, indeed he still felt like running, as he remembered those shocking moments, when he had been outside with the others.

His rage had been simmering since the woman in the elevator had told him about Laurie. It had been brewing since this morning in fact when Laurie had first defied him, and his anger had been his only companion for most of the day. It had stirred and dipped as Rowena and Iris and James had all invaded his personal space and made him feel like an intruder on his own turf.

His anger had escalated every time he had thought of these - animals, who would dare to lay hands on his bride, and now he was mere yards away from them, he was within hitting range now.

He allowed his shoulders to relax, and his eyes glinted and then glowed with raw energy.

He clenched and unclenched his fists as he stared across at the men with a burning anger.

"I rather think, that I might enjoy getting into a fight with those... creatures," he bit out slowly.

James looked at him quickly.

"No!" He snapped out in a low voice that had Michael looking back in shock. "That will not help Laurie. They would have someone in that room with her; within a heartbeat of them knowing we are here."

"He's right," Rowena hissed. "You know that stealth will be safer than force!"

Once again, Michael had to swallow back his rage, he had to force the anger down and allow his mind to take control of the beast within.

As they huddled beneath the tree, the sound of a motor car could be heard, a dull, restrained roar that spoke of a sleek powerful engine.

The car that came into view matched sound perfectly and they stood silently watching as it drew to a halt in the open driveway.

The men who had been milling around had all come to a standstill as well, and Michael sucked in a slow breath as the man in the front stepped out.

"Carlson!" He muttered, as he recognised the driver first. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"He's an original one two... isn't he!" Rowena hissed in a low voice, as the man in the back got out.

Michael sucked in a breath as he saw and then recognised the man that Rowena referred to "Yes, that's Mathew; he is my father's brother - my uncle in fact."

There was a moment of stunned silence, and then Rowena spoke.

"And what is he like, this uncle of yours, is he all power and hungry for more - or does he have some semblance of honour and integrity in him?"

Michael shrugged as he eyes fixed on the newcomer who looked at the men surrounding his vehicle with distain and distaste - visible even from this distance.

"I never knew him that well, growing up. He was always away, on business for my father, but I always thought of him as one of the good guys."

"So, what do you think he is doing here?" Rowena asked as she too looked across at the group of people.

Michael clenched his fists a couple of times. "I have no idea, but I aim to find out!"

He had not given the others a chance to argue, he had not given any thought to what they might think of him, as he concentrated for a second, and then he seemed to contract, to collapse in on himself.

He had been dimly aware of the muttered oaths of Rowena and James, as they stepped back from him in shock, as they realised, he was about to transform - and not into a wolf.

Michael spread out his arms suddenly and then with a low cry he leapt into the air, leaving several dark feathers fluttering down after him - and a pile of clothes..

The black raven, glided through the air, and landed with a flutter, at the open window.

He could clearly hear the racket somewhere deeper in the house, and his sharp beady eyes caught the movement of the woman inside the room.

Michael hopped down from the window sill, and shimmered back into his human form, just as Laurie wept out loud.

"Michael, save me!"

He stepped closer to her even though she had her back to him, and wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her to him.

"I'm here, Laurie," he murmured huskily, as he held her tight uncaring that during his shift he had left his clothing on the ground with the others.

*

Michael's uncle looked at him and Laurie thoughtfully for a moment longer before glancing back over his shoulder.

"Who's in charge around here?" he demanded brusquely.

Ben stepped closer, and bowed anxiously. "It's our father who is our pack leader, sir," he said awkwardly.

"And where is your pack leader?" Uncle Mathew asked impatiently.

"My father is away on business at the moment... sir," Ben spoke quietly and nervously but he tried to sound calm and self-assured, even though his eyes would or could not meet Uncle Mathew's steely stare. "And in his absence - I guess that I am in charge."

"You guess - or you are?"

"... I am, sir."

"Hmm," Uncle Mathew did not sound convinced. "When is your father - your pack leader due to return?"

Ben cast him a quick reproachful look, and even as he looked away again a dull flush came to his cheeks.

"Later this evening, sir," he muttered quietly.

"Later - when?"

Ben gave a little shrug of his shoulders, and made a sort of snorting sound.

"About nine... ish, sir."

"Right... well that is only an hour or so away, and so I think that we shall wait for his return."

He glanced again at his nephew and then frowned slightly at the young woman who looked like she was going to fade away at any moment. "The girl does not look like she is faring too well," he observed curtly. "Maybe your people would be good enough to find some nourishment for her and refreshments for the rest of us too... and my nephew seems to have lost his clothing at some point?"

"I will get something for him to put on immediately sir," Ben said eagerly as he tried not to gape at the lean muscled physique of the man who seemed to want to hold the woman in one hand whilst ripping the rest of them to pieces.

"Good, and then you might be good enough to explain just what has happened here tonight?"

His tone left no doubt in anyone's mind that he would enforce this request - should the need arise, and the big burly men glanced at each other nervously and Laurie was almost certain that one or two of them even gave little pup like whines.

"Did you come here alone?" He asked his nephew as he turned his back on the other men, in obvious dismissal.

Michael hesitated and then Laurie felt him shake his head. "No, we have friends waiting outside for us." He gave a rueful little grin. "They also have guardianship of my clothes!"

"Is that right... well perhaps we should tell them to come inside, and enjoy some of our host's hospitality."

Again, Michael seemed to hesitate. "I am unconvinced at this moment that it would be entirely safe for us all to be under one roof."

Mathew grinned a chilling sort of grin. "Fear not, nephew - I can keep a lid on this leaderless pack!"

"Yes, uncle - but who will keep a lid on you?"

*

Michael stepped outside and for a moment, and looked across to the trees. As he began the short journey, he tried not to smell the staleness of the borrowed dungarees.

He casually walked across the grass and out of the light of the main house, he kept his mind clear, and his tone light.

"It's okay for you to come up to the house now, Laurie is safe, and we are all under the protection of my uncle." He had closed the gap between the house and his friends, but his call was met by silence at first; and then James stepped out from under the shelter of the trees.

"You are certain?" he demanded shortly. "You can trust your uncle?"

"Yes, I am still not sure why he is here, but he was not involved or even aware of Laurie's abduction - it looks like his being here is just a coincidence."

"Coincidences can be a real bitch sometimes!" James bit out guardedly.

"Yes, they can, but I trust my uncle... he is part of my family and pack."

They settled downstairs in what looked like some sort of a common meeting room.

Laurie curled up next to Michael - who had thankfully changed into his own clothing, and now they sat together on a large, old and rough sofa. She wrinkled her nose at the faint odours in the room, of stale sweat, of tobacco and alcohol, overlaid with decades of wet fur!

Michael wrapped his arm around her again protectively, and she thankfully buried her face and nose into his shirt.

She infinitely preferred his clean smell to that of this room, and its inhabitants - although she was afraid that some of their scent might have transferred to Michael.

Iris and James sat together across from them on a smaller two-seater sofa, and judging by the slight wrinkle of her sister's nose, she was as impressed with this place as Laurie.

This seemed to be some sort of a meeting area for this dysfunctional family with several sofas and chairs and stools scattered around. Even though there was this abundance of seating most of the male inhabitants seemed to want to stand, as they looked away awkwardly from accusing eyes and the open and obvious feelings of the two young women.

The sister's reunion had been swift and emotional, and her aunt Trudy had been just as warm though a little less emotional.

The room was full of big burly brutish men, and Aunt Trudy eyed them all threateningly; all except for Michael's uncle - whom she avoided like the plague.

Trudy had taken one look at Uncle Mathew and then she had turned her back on him and refused to even look in his direction again.

Laurie looked thoughtfully at her aunt and then turned her blue-eyed gaze on the older man.

Uncle Mathew was watching Aunt Trudy with a trace of amusement, but then sensing Laurie's gaze his black eyes fell on her.

Laurie shivered and burrowed deeper into Michael's embrace.

"And so, I am waiting for an explanation?" Uncle Mathew sat down on the other side of Michael, and looked across at the two brothers. "What has occurred here this evening that has my nephew and his... associates practically baying for your blood?"

Mark and Ben looked at each other nervously, and again it was Ben who stepped forward.

"Our pack is a male dominant pack," he began awkwardly. "We need to expand our pack if it is to endure, and for that we need females."

"That makes sense," Uncle Mathew nodded, but his tone gave nothing away as to what he was thinking.