Changeling (Completed)

Day Twenty-Seven

Day Twenty-Seven - Three Days Left

There's a surprise at the end of this chapter. Ooo, it's like that book Hannah reads to the pups: The Monster at the End of This Book. It stars Grover and he's all worried about the monster, only to find out that lovable, furry, Grover is the monster! It's adorable. Read it to your four-year-old.

Anyhoo... Day Twenty-Seven - Three Days Left

The inside of the Council's mansion is just as gaudy as disturbing as the outside. "Hannah?" I ask the girl who is wandering the halls just as in awe as I am. Tyler is ahead of us, his neck looking sore from all of the craning he's done as we tour the place.

"Hmm?"

"How do you all hide this place from humans?"

"The mansion was built by a wealthy oil baron over a hundred years ago. It sits on over a hundred acres. It is remote enough to be easily forgotten by humans," a disturbingly scratchy voice says from behind us.

We both whirl around. Goon steps between us and the speaker, a shorter, lankier male, but one who exudes a power that I vaguely recognize as exuding off of Ronson when he's being all alpha-like.

This dude looks like he's been in a war. Dark purple bruising all along his throat explain his voice. His face is a motley assortment of bruises in every shade, from the deep black to light green. One eye is nearly swollen shut. The other glares out, a light brown color that reminds me of Ronson's goat-eyes, even if he's not shifted at all. One shoulder is bandaged and in a sling.

As he walks closer, he favors his left leg. His breathing is slightly raspy, which concerns me. This man looks like a professional athlete, whip-cord lean and sinewy under all the bruising. If he can't breathe properly then I have to assume he has some internal damage.

"Why are you not in a hospital?" I ask him.

The one, lone eye twinkles with sardonic amusement. "Hospitals are boring."

"Still," I say doubtfully. He's clearly one of the walking wounded. Maybe he got attacked by zombies. Maybe he is a zombie. I eye his hands carefully for signs of brains under his fingernails.

"Alpha," Goon greets him respectfully.

"Beta Garth," the man responds. He inhales, the breathe rattling in his chest. "I'd like to speak to your alpha."

Goonie nods, his hand tightening on Tyler's when the other alpha's eyes drift to him. He's avoiding looking directly at me, I notice. Just like Ronson did when I first woke up in Ingrid's body.

Ooh. Guilt. Guilt? May be guilt.

"I'm Innie-"

"He's working in one of the offices downstairs," Goon very rudely interrupts me.

"I-"

"Innie, Hannah, take Tyler to see the pool," Goon orders. "I'll send some of our males there."

I pout. We already saw the pool. Don't get me wrong - it's a gorgeous pool. Built in the Roman-bath style, complete with four separate hot tubs, it was the first thing we saw.

"OK," Hannah takes my hand and starts to pull us away.

"Who was that?" I ask her.

"A deposed alpha. The alpha of the monster pack, RustClaw, beat the holy shit out of him," Hannah hisses at me as she tugs me along.

I glance at Tyler, but he just looks like a bug squashed on a windshield, sad and crushed and all alone with other squishes. "That's terrible?" I offer, watching his face.