Torment (Primal Progeny Book 1) (21 page)

‘How are you?’ She asked as she entered the room, apparently not even remotely concerned by his nakedness.

‘I’m fine.’ He answered perhaps a little too curtly, still agitated by his own attraction to her.

She pulled a face that suggested slight confusion but continued her advance and sat herself down on the toilet seat; which she brushed off before daring to be seated. The lid had been down for quite some time and was very dusty.

‘Are you sure? I understand how stressed you must be.’ She looked genuinely concerned, a far cry from Audra’s cold attitude.

Hunter nodded ‘Yeah I’m as good as I can be I guess. Obviously everything’s come as a bit of a shock, so much has happened that its hard to take it all in. I do know that I want this parole time to be over so I can rip the throat out of the fucker who’s done this… That much I’m certain of.’

Eve nodded ‘I can imagine this isn’t easy for you, having such a monster explode back into your life in such a tragic way. We are fully behind you when it comes to his demise, it will be a service to mankind and to weres across the globe to have him killed.’

Hunter gritted his teeth ‘Nothing would make me more satisfied than being the man to do it.’ He paused for a moment, in thought. ‘Do you know, for a while I thought you had set me up. That’s how it seemed to begin with.’

Eve’s eyes widened ‘why on earth would we do such a thing?’

Hunter shrugged ‘I have no idea, it just seemed too much of a coincidence that the police arrived when they did. Though I see now that I was wrong.’

Eve nodded ‘Very wrong Mr. Dalton, we’re with you every step of the way with this.’

Hunter felt uncomfortable with how formal her tone was, it didn’t fit the situation, what with him being sat in a bathtub. ‘Please call me Hunter’ he requested ‘I’ve had enough of this Mr. Dalton crap from Audra, I do have a Christian name.’

Eve smiled ‘of course, I apologise. Hunter it is.’

He smiled in return. ‘Good, it makes me feel less like I’ve done something wrong if everyone’s on first name terms.’

‘Besides which you want her to warm to you faster’
, his wolf insisted. He ignored it.

Eve looked him over as though she had heard his lupine self, and he was suddenly filled with the irrational fear that she had. He slipped lower into the water and waited for her to continue. After a moment she did, though he could not shake the feeling that she had heard, and she had looked him over a little too intently. Perhaps she felt the same…?

‘I suspect you’re glad she’s one of the ones going on Varulv’s trail?’ She asked with a smirk.

Hunter nodded ‘you have no idea. She’s intolerable in large doses isn’t she.’

‘You should try living with her!’ Eve laughed, a delicate sound which was so filled with happiness it had goose bumps erupting all over his skin. ‘Everything is about pack structure, about how she can work her way up the ranks... Its tiresome.’

‘I can imagine.’ Hunter replied.

‘She’ll be off with Tobias soon… Let him deal with her for a while! I suspect he’ll put her in her place if she gives him any grief. In the meantime though we have to arrange your things. If you get a police visit here and you’ve got no belongings in the building you’ll be hauled back into the station in no time.’

‘I’m not certain what I can really bring to make this place look like a home.’ Hunter chuckled.

“A duster for one’ Eve quipped. ‘Though you don’t need to bring anything, it’ll be us bringing things to you. So you’d better work on a list of things you need.’

Hunter chuckled again at her remark, and she couldn’t help but notice the dimples that showed his mirth. ‘I’m not sure what I’ll need for a week to be honest with you, seeing as I’m not going anywhere probably not much. Shall I just reel things off or do you need a written list?’

‘Just reel things off, that’ll be fine. I’ve got a pretty good memory.’

Hunter nodded and continued. ‘I’ll be needing my toothbrush, deodorant and other basic toiletries obviously; also a fresh change of clothes for each day I’m here… So seven t-shirts and pairs of boxers and socks, and three pairs of jeans. I’d also like my electric razor if it’s going to be safe to plug in here?’ He looked around at the sockets that were by the mirror, taking in the rust around the screws that held the plate to the wall.

‘It should be’ Eve replied ‘what about food?’

Hunter rubbed thoughtfully at his stubble-covered chin before answering. ‘I’m not particularly fussy, I do like a good supply of fresh meat though, and I’m fond of cheese and vegetables, my tastes are pretty basic. I like to have fresh fruit about too, and cider on hand in case I fancy a drink. If I’m permitted to drink.’

‘So long as you don’t completely drown yourself in it I’m sure it will be fine, we need you fit to get up and go at any moment in case Varulv appears after all.’

Hunter sat up a little ‘I hadn’t given it as much thought as perhaps I should… That he might come to find me.’

‘We don’t think that will be the case as we are sure he thinks it was one of our pack members that he set up for discovery with your friend. It is worth considering the option that he might stumble across this place and think it would be a good place to hide for a day though. And if he discovered another were here he definitely would not hesitate to rip them to shreds; so you’ll have to have your wits about you at least a little. Though we will have pack members monitor the area to help you rest a little easier.’

Hunter nodded ‘I’m sure I’d cope on my own, though I suspect there will be no talking you out of it so I won’t try.’

Eve nodded firmly ‘too right’ she winked, ‘I better head off and gather some of your things together or you’ll have nothing to wear by the time you get out of that bath.’ She got up and crossed perilously close to the tub, looking down at the bubble coated water as she went. ‘We wouldn’t want you getting cold.’

Hunter reflexively covered his already hidden crotch and watched her exit the room, calling after her ‘don’t forget the cider!’

She laughed to herself as she walked down the stairs, the sound slowly trailing away as she left the house and realised that despite his tone being merry he was planning on using the alcohol to medicate his grief. She mused over the idea of staying with him for a while when she returned.

Chapter 21

Varulv had not felt so smug in a long time. Things had gone so smoothly, and he could not help the self-satisfied smile that refused to budge from his handsome features.  Things could not possibly have been more perfect.  He felt particularly satisfied at the time he had spent with the woman… Lucy he thought her name was, he tended to blank the little unimportant details from his mind after the event. That made him chuckle quietly to himself, the idea that his attitude to them as human beings was so unforgiving. He knew that it would kill his victims all over again that he did not care… Were they still around to appreciate the fact that is.

He sat back in his chair and sighed contentedly to himself, surveying the hotel room he had booked himself into on the day of the murder. It was plush and comfortable, decorated in neutral colours with dark green splashes of colour here and there. The bed sheets were a deep green, and reminded him of the moss he used to sleep on in the forests of his home country in the first few years after he had been turned. It bought back happy memories of carnage and bloodshed, and he enjoyed reminiscing about the murders he had committed more than anything else in life. He could sit for hours and remember the fine details of his past acts, remembering everything down to the smallest detail… Their eye colour before their eyelids flickered closed forever, the ways in which he had tortured them in the run up to their demise… Even the patterns their blood made in the dirt or on their walls and floors.

He reached for the glass of brandy which was set on top of the table next to the armchair he had settled into and took a long swig, sighing again. It did not matter to him that it was barely the middle of the afternoon. There was no life better, not for him. Then there was the added sweetness of the fact that he had managed to involve a local pack… The idea of the panic this would be causing them amused him to the point that he let out a deep laugh to himself. He wondered how they were doing in the wake of his plan, and amused himself by picturing weres across the globe panicking at the possible discovery of their kind.

He wished that there had been some way of staying and seeing the scene unfold without risk of being caught, but as it was he would have to wait and enjoy the news reports. He had no idea who he had caught in his trap. He liked to think it would be some poor, young, inexperienced female who had been sent out to do the pack’s dirty work by her alpha. The thought amused him so much that he began to concoct a fantasy around the scenario…  He imagined a poor little confused werewolf happening across the scene in human form and finding the body; being so traumatised by the sight of it that she transformed there and then in the bloody pools of water that he had left everywhere… He imagined the newly transformed wolf unable to keep itself from gorging on the fresh flesh of the dead girl he had so completely abused; and as his mind concocted these horrific images his hand strayed down to his trousers and unzipped them with a practiced ease.  He pushed beneath his waistband and grasped the thick length of his erect shaft, pumping his clenched hand up and down and closing his eyes to enjoy the memories of what he had done so recently.  It did not take long for him to work himself up into a frenzy, his hand moving faster and faster until he was fit to explode… But then all of a sudden… Numbness.

Total numbness.

He needed the body of a woman before him to be able to reach a climax, to be able to touch it and love it and do what he wished with it. He was the worst kind of monster and only the most awful acts of cruelty would do.

Releasing his throbbing member he agitatedly re-zipped his trousers and snarled to himself. It was no good, he would have to find another or there would be no release… And the trouble was, the memories of one aroused him so much that he needed another release… The murders were becoming more frequent, more brutal… He needed more and more to keep himself satisfied.

Topping up his glass and drinking the contents down in one he slammed it back onto the table, and poured another and another until the entire bottle was drained and he was so drunk he sank into a dreamless sleep. It was the only way to calm the need.

He would have to kill again… It would have to be soon.

Chapter 22

Audra had left the little cottage swiftly, she was desperate to get on with the job she had been assigned and prove to her father that she was a suitable candidate to be a beta one day. She knew that this would mean that Eve would have to be out of the picture but she was certain that she could arrange that in the long run… It would only take one little accident to be rid of her under the right circumstances.

She contemplated the dozens of unfortunate little mishaps that could happen involving her pack mate as she drove back to the pack house, smiling to herself all the while. It did not take long for her to reach her destination and she pulled up outside the house in a hurry, hopping out of the car and dashing into the building as though the sunlight would burn her.

Once inside the house she headed straight for the library, which was where her father could usually be found. The large room was directly above the meeting hall and approximately the same size. She scaled the old staircase to the left of the front door and dashed to the library entryway, which was an open arched doorway with no doors to bar it from the corridor.

She peered around the doorway before entering, checking to see if her father was within, and he was just as she had expected. He sat in a large ornate chair behind a heavy dark wood desk at the far end of the room, flicking through an enormous hardback book. She did not care as to whether she was disturbing him or not. She bustled into the room and made her way straight for him, coughing quietly to announce her presence as though he hadn’t already heard her hurried footsteps.

The pack alpha looked up from his reading and removed the glasses that had been perched perilously close to the end of his nose, placing them on the desk. Folding his hands one over the other on top of the age-faded pages of the book, he smiled warmly at his daughter. Despite her ill manners he was always pleased to see her.

‘How are you my little pup?’ He asked, using an old pet name he had always had for her, for she was his only daughter, and as such very dear to him.

She smiled at him warmly, fond of him in a way despite her wolf’s pushing her to overthrow him as head of the pack. Her human side loved her father very much, but unfortunately her lupine side was stronger. ‘I’m very well father’ She replied. ‘Hunter is safely at the cottage and I believe Eve has gone to fetch his things? I could smell her in the woodlands.’

Alfred smiled in return ‘you are entirely correct my dear, she left not long before you arrived here.’ He paused and studied his daughter, always amazed at how prim and proper she looked, always well kept and in his eyes very beautiful. ‘Are you ready to depart with Tobias little pup?’ He asked.

Audra shook her head ‘no, not yet father, I thought I would come and update you on things before I left and find out if you had any more orders for us.’

Alfred raised a quizzical eyebrow ‘What is it you have to tell me?’

‘Nothing too exciting father, just that I have given Hunter the news of what is to transpire in the next week, and that he is doing well other than being shaken and grieving.’

Alfred interjected quietly ‘as is to be expected my dear, it must have been a hideous shock for him, especially considering the man behind it all.’

Audra nodded ‘indeed, though I think perhaps his anger will be useful in the long run while dealing with Varulv.’

Alfred scowled ‘Audra you cannot simply use peoples emotions like that, even if it were convenient it would not be proper to say so.’

Audra hung her head, feigning shame ‘sorry father, I apologise… I meant nothing by it, I was simply trying to point out that his sorrow might not be an entirely negative thing.’ She took a deep, shuddering breath, as though very upset by her mistake, and then asked. ‘What are your orders for the endeavour Tobias and I are to undertake father? I would like to be clear on all the details before we leave.’

Alfred slipped a bookmark into the book he was reading and closed it before continuing. ‘It is very good practice to fine tune plans before execution of them Audra, and I am very proud of your commitment to this pack. First and foremost I would like to emphasize that I need you both to be very careful. If you are discovered by Varulv he may very well outright try to kill you, or take you hostage to draw in the rest of the pack. We cannot risk either of those scenarios, you must be very cautious not to be discovered.’

Audra nodded sagely as her father continued. ‘I think that the most important thing to do now is to be certain you have sufficient supplies in case Varulv sets of on the move and you have to follow across country. It is all very well stopping for food if you know his whereabouts, but if you do not then that time is much better spent working on discovering them… So please visit the kitchens and stock up before you leave. I would suggest taking one of the larger, off road cars as well my little pup.’

Audra nodded ‘yes father, but which way are we headed?’

Alfred raised an eyebrow ‘well I’d say your best course of action would be to head to the barn and to follow his scent from there. Make sure to report back regularly Audra, we need to be aware of his whereabouts here as well, I am concerned he will launch an attack on the pack house if we are not careful.’

‘Of course father’ Audra replied. ‘Where is Tobias?’

‘He is packing up his things to the best of my knowledge, but do not trouble yourself with him, he knows well enough what to do. Go and get your own things sorted and meet him at the car, those are the instructions he has been given to follow so I shall give you the same.’

Audra nodded ‘All right father, I shall take my leave and pack my things then.’

With that she turned and left the room without looking back or waiting for a response, and she heard him re-open his book as she went. She smiled to herself as she walked into her bedroom, more pleased than ever with the amount of trust that had been placed in her.

She crossed to her bed and perched herself on its edge, opening the bedside drawers and fishing out a comb, a small old-fashioned handheld mirror and a little bag filled with makeup and hair products. She closed the drawer and unzipped the small, floral print bag to inspect its contents. Satisfied by what she saw she wedged the comb and mirror on top of it all and re-zipped it with a little difficulty. Dropping the bag onto the bedspread she then quickly rifled through a wardrobe that stood at the end of the bed and pulled out a variety of clothes. She looked through her things for a moment, musing over what would be practical and comfortable. Eventually she decided to take a skirt suit for when she was due back at the police station, and a formal dress and two pairs of heels in case they had to do any surveillance in more upmarket settings. She then sifted out three pairs of wide legged black trousers, a couple of polo necks and a cardigan in case of cold weather; and a few sleeveless tops in various colours. Without much thought she also grabbed a thick formal coat and a set of comfortable flat black ankle boots and threw them all onto the bed behind her.

Pulling a faded old travel bag from the bottom of the wardrobe she carefully folded everything that would fit into it and draped her coat over the top. Her shoes had to be put into a second, smaller bag along with her toiletries, but there was plenty of room in the car so she reasoned that Tobias could not complain.

Closing the wardrobe she exited the room and shut the door behind her, making her way down to the kitchen awkwardly with two full hands and her bags hitting into her legs as she walked. She entered the kitchen with an exasperated sigh at the irritation of her bags bruising her legs and dropped them to the floor with a loud crash. This drew the attention of the three female who already inhabited the room. Georgia who was stood by the sink snapped her head around to glare at the cause of the noise, as did Anna who had been stuffing clothes into the industrial sized washing machine in the alcove by the larder. Courtney also looked up from her mobile phone. She was sat looking sullen at the kitchen table, still stiff and sore from her run in with the car in the village.

Audra looked from one to the other, brushing a stray hair behind her ear and wishing the kitchen had not been so heavily populated, especially by other women. She always found it more difficult to get on with females; they could see through her looks to the personality within with much less difficulty. And she found over time that she had driven them all away to the point that they were wary of her, and always slightly agitated by her presence. She looked first at Anna, the oldest in the room. She knew the older female was at least 250 and on top of that she had aged rather badly for a werewolf… She had a plethora of wrinkles across her face and especially around her thin lips and deep brown eyes. Her hair was rich brown beginning to grey, pulled back into a bun and only adding to the illusion that she was older than she was. Audra knew full well that Anna was not fond of her and she smiled tightly at her, not in the least surprised when the gesture was not returned. Anna went back to her washing with a contemptuous snort; as far as she was concerned the longer Audra was away the better!

Georgia did not turn away like her older pack mate; instead she turned from the sink and wiped her hands dry on her faded blue jeans, her dirty blonde hair falling forward onto her face as she did so. Tucking it behind her ears she studied her alpha’s daughter with her cold grey eyes and asked. ‘What are you looking for Audra?’

Audra feigned shock at the other woman’s unfriendly tone. ‘You needn’t sound so agitated with me Georgia, I’m simply trying to follow my father’s orders. I have been instructed to pack us up some supplies.’

Georgia pouted, not wanting to help but knowing it would not be received well by Alfred if he heard she had not done so. ‘Ok, well what were you thinking?’ She asked, trying to keep her tone cordial, wanting nothing more that to tell the stuck up bitch before her to get stuffed and actually do something herself for once.

Audra looked puzzled ‘well I don’t know… What would you suggest?’

Courtney snorted ‘we can’t do everything for you Audra!’ She quipped.

Audra scowled at the younger female, the little upstart was a constant irritation to her, she was at that awkward age where her hormones were all over the place and she was angry at the world. She had every right to be angry after being hit by a car, but Audra did not see it that way, she simply saw her as another annoyance. ‘Don’t get too big for your boots little one.’ She snarled. ‘Don’t forget your place here, just because you don’t particularly like me it doesn’t give you the right to talk above your station!’

Courtney curled her lip and went back to looking at her phone, not bothering to respond.  

‘That’s better’ Audra smirked. Turning back to face Georgia she returned to her original question. ‘I thought perhaps you might have an idea of what would be suitable, you’re more suited to this kind of thing than I am… Kitchen work I mean.’

Georgia turned away, opening the cupboards above the sink to hide the curl of her lip, she might as well have given her a pat on the head and called her a good little housewife! She bashed about a few tins in the gloom of the cupboards innards, asking over her shoulder ‘what kind of thing do you need, are you intending on cooking or just eating things that are quick to prepare?’

Audra raised and eyebrow ‘cooking’ she laughed quietly to herself ‘I don’t think so. Its hardly my forte and I highly doubt Tobias is an accomplished cook?’

Georgia turned away and opened another cupboard ‘actually he helps prepare things with me occasionally. But if you’d prefer things which are easier I can put together a little care package for you easily.’ She grabbed a few tins and popped them on the side, pulling a can opener from a drawer and dropping it on top of them. ‘You’ve got some corned beef, tinned ham, tuna and mackerel there and a tin opener. I’ll pack a couple of condiments and a few loaves of bread too, and some cheese. I’ll add some tinned fruit too if you’d like?’

Audra nodded ‘yes please.’

Georgia picked a picnic box out from one of the already open cupboards and stuffed it full of tins and the bread she had picked out of the bread bin. She added a few sweet things as well, as she knew they would crave the extra sugar if they were forced to change.  Closing the lid she handed the box to Audra and returned to her washing up, talking into the washing up rather than facing the other female. ‘If you can think of anything else I’ll add it for you. Good luck, and give my love to Tobias.’

Audra grimaced ‘I’ll tell him you’re thinking of him.’ She was uncomfortable with over familiarities ‘and thank you, I can’t think of anything else, I’m sure this will do.’ She took the box and then looked down at her other bags, the realisation suddenly dawning on her that she would have to make two trips to get it all out to the car, leaving her feeling suddenly agitated by their lack of offers to help. Looking across at Courtney she pulled rank and instructed her rather than asked for her help. ‘Take my other bags Courtney, I’ll have to come back for them otherwise and it’s imperative that we leave as soon as possible.’