Chapter 308: The Tower
My head felt heavy and my eyes felt dry, coated with a thick layer of sleep. I yawned, stretching my arms over my head before nuzzling further back into the warm sheets, the feeling absolutely delightful, considering how the weather outside was starting to cool down as summer bled into fall.
There was a pounding headache blaring at my temples, but I chose to ignore it at first, waving it off to the lack of sleep. After all, the last few days had been busy. My schedule had been filled with interrogations and errands, not to mention I had yet to recover completely from the wendigo attack that happened.
On top of that, the journey from Thunderstrike to Fangborne was a long one. Traveling always had its way of tiring a person out.
My eyes burst open as my breathing ceased.
I wasn’t in Fangborne.
I had left Thunderstrike. Kyle was driving us back home when we were stopped by a road block. He disappeared shortly after, replaced by a familiar face, the person we were searching for― Gus.
Although I wasn’t rudely awakened, I felt as though I had been drenched head to toe by a bucket of ice-cold water. The bed beneath my palm might be warm but my entire body was freezingly cold, my breaths labored as I surveyed the room.
There wasn’t much, but the room was by no means decrepit. If anything, it was homey, warm, and oddly comforting. Or at least, the decor would’ve been if it weren’t for the circumstances.
I was on a queen size bed, lined with fresh linen sheets. If I breathed in hard enough, I could even still smell the faint scent of the washing detergent used before my arrival. There were couches set to a corner, along with an electric fireplace which was lit up, casting an amber glow across the room. Bookshelves lined the walls, and there was even a large window.
Hurriedly, I threw the covers off of me, scrambling to the window with urgency. Unclasping it, I squeezed my eyes shut when a blast of wind blew at my face, opening them only when the initial gust ceased.
My heart dropped.
"I wouldn’t do that if I were you." I spun around quickly just in time to see Gus leaning against the doorframe, his arms folded across his chest, his posture ever so relaxed. "It’s a long way down, and you don’t have the healing capabilities of a full werewolf. Hell, even if Damon Valentine jumped down from here, he’ll probably be as good as dead."
He wasn’t kidding. Even from up here, I could hear the honk of the vehicles on the roads below us. Day had already bled into the night, and for as far as the eye could see, skyscrapers lined the landscape, and above it, there was nothing but the endless night sky.
The room where I was in had to be at least twenty stories above ground level. By the looks of it, especially the buildings across from me, this wasn’t the tallest a building could get.
"Where did you bring me?" I asked, frowning. "This isn’t Everhaven."
"Of course not," Gus said with a scoff. "You honestly think that a rundown town like Everhaven would have buildings like this?" He gestured to the window, and I didn’t even need to turn around to look to know what he was referring to.
Everhaven was a small settlement. This, on the other hand, was a big city.
A human city.
"Right," he said after noting my silence. "I didn’t think so."
Propping himself back upright, Gus waved, signaling me to follow.
"You’ve been asleep for some time," he said. "Come. I’ll bring you to the cafeteria."
Instinctively, I reached my hand into the back pocket of my pants. However, my heart ran cold when I realized there was nothing there.
"Don’t bother," Gus said, looking over his shoulder with a slight smile. "Your little toy and phone have been left in the car. We don’t need tracking devices with us, and if you’re planning to use the rod as... night-time entertainment, I am sure we can find a replacement for you."
"I―" My words clogged up right in my throat as Gus spoke, his laughter quickly following when he noticed how red my face had gotten. "That is not a toy!"
He shrugged. "Seems like it to me," Gus said. "I can never understand why the werewolves were alright with you carrying silver with you into a foreign pack. Then again, werewolves tend to be oddly masochistic. I can never understand why they constantly shift when they will have to go through the pain of breaking and healing their bones every single time."
My eye twitched. "I wouldn’t know," I said. "I can’t shift."
The smile on Gus’s face merely grew wider. "And that’s why I like you so much. Now come. Dinner should be served soon, and I want to get a plate of the wagyu before they run out. They only serve it once every month."
Gus practically skipped out of my room after that, humming a merry tune under his breath as he did. It was as though the thought of food had excited him so much that he had forgotten the situation. Or, he didn’t think I could do anything even if he let his guard entirely down.
Which was probably true.
I looked down at my hands, then out the window. Jumping out would be as good as suicide. There was no way I could survive the fall, and even if I did, I might just die from my injuries sustained. The only way to escape was to leave this building properly.
The corridor outside the room led two ways― left and right. Gus had sauntered to the right, and I could still see his figure a short distance down the hallway. I looked at the other side, debating if it was worth making a run for it. But with a vampire’s speed, Gus would be able to catch me without even wasting a breath.
"Come on, Harper," he said, his voice sing-song.
When I turned, my gaze immediately met his. He was standing in the dark, away from the lights. Even then, his violet eyes seemed to glow.
"There’s someone waiting for you," Gus said. "It’s best not to keep them waiting."
