Pack

Chapter Five

It all seemed like a dream.

In that fogginess between awake and sleep, Dean told me we were leaving the hotel. I faintly remember him wrapping me in a blanket. Consciousness came back briefly as he placed me in a car, and handed me a bottle of water. I remember the water tasted funny, but all the sugar and salt I'd consumed left me so thirsty that I drank it anyway. The warmth and hum of the engine had sent me back to sleep.

And now, someone carried me.

The slight movement made me curious. I inhaled deeply. It wasn't Dean. The fact I could differentiate my captors by scent startled me for a moment, but I had to admit, it was a handy trick. I inhaled another deep breath. I detected the usual earthy musk, with a mix of something that reminded me of the wind on a cool fall day. I blinked my eyes open and looked up.

Jace.

His eyes were narrowed as he moved with swift precision, concentrating on every step he took. They'd wrapped me in the quilt and it covered me completely. I lifted up to peek over the top. We were in a forest. The trees started to thin out, and I saw lights up ahead.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Shhh," he hushed. "Keep your head covered. We don't want a scent trail." I put my head back down against his chest, but continued to look up at him.

"Where's Dean?" I whispered.

"He's gone with Jonathan to ask Quinn permission to stay on his territory."

"Who's Quinn?"

Jace looked down and his eyes found mine His jaw clenched shut. I waited for him to answer, but he looked away, staying silent.

The light suddenly grew brighter. Before I could adjust my eyes to my new surroundings, Jace barreled through a door. After a couple long strides across the floor, he put me down on a large brown couch. I unwrapped myself from the blanket and took in my new surroundings.

They'd brought me to a cabin. It was small, quaint and completely made of wood. The kitchen and living area were one room with a short hallway that lead to a bathroom and a couple bedrooms. A ladder leaned against the wall leading up to a loft. Through skylights in the ceiling, I could see tiny blinking stars and a partial moon. Sitting back, I relaxed into the couch. The place was cozy and clean, and the best part, we wouldn't all have to sleep in the same room.

Adrian climbed down from the loft ladder and headed over to one of the recliners beside me. As he passed Jace, he gave him a quick nod. Jace, who still stood in the doorway, inhaled slowly and nodded a response in return. Again, I'd witnessed some unspoken message pass between them. I really hoped they'd developed their own language with body movements and signals and that it wasn't true telepathy.

I placed my sore ankle on top of the coffee table and stretched. Jace moved from the doorway to sit down on the couch beside me. A few seconds later, Liam and Scout walked through the front door carrying my plastic shopping bags of clothes, a couple duffle bags and a takeout bag. Liam dropped the shopping and duffle bags on the floor, before sitting down in one of the recliners. Scout walked over, handed me the bag of food and slumped down to the floor by my feet.

"Who's Quinn?" I asked Scout, as I opened the bag and handed him his two chicken burgers.

"He's in charge of the territory we're on," Scout answered, taking the burgers.

I guess that made sense. If Jonathan was going to make himself at home in someone else's cabin he should ask first.

I took my salad out of the bag and started pouring dressing on it. "How long are we staying here?" I took a bite, and wished they'd brought me a burger instead.