He had set up that contact as a joke, but this situation was far from funny.
Kurt listened as Landon ordered, “Get the pack together!” Judging from this side of the conversation currently taking place, things were serious.
Kurt dug a little deeper under the seat and pulled out a black satchel, his little emergency supply kit of sorts. Wooden stakes, led bullets, a flare gun, and a collapsible cross-bow.
Landon’s eyes were glowing. His breathing was heavy as he struggled to restrain the Wolf pushing to escape.
“Yes,” Landon continued talking on the phone. “I’ve seen two of them. No, I don’t know yet.”
Kurt pulled a bundle of arrows out of the secret compartment under his dash.
Landon seemed more agitated, but Kurt didn’t know whether to stay close to the Steinwick mansion or high-tail it out of the area.
“I don’t know that yet either. I’m not sure how many are here. Send three delegates to my house. I’ll say they’re friends visiting from out of town. Tell them their priority is the safety of Kurt’s family. Tell the rest of the pack to stay out of sight until I figure out what is going on. Absolutely no Wolfing around, or they’ll have me to deal with, understood?” Landon barked, literally, and then disconnected the call.
When the conversation ended with a bark, Kurt knew the situation was even worse than his initial assessment.
“Vamps, I assume?” he asked already knowing the answer; it was the only reason Landon would be so worked up.
Uttering the word seemed to fire Landon’s Wolf up even more, and soon he was fighting a full shift with every ounce of his strength.
“Yes,” Landon snarled. His fangs began to descend. Shifting into a Werewolf was not something he wanted to happen in the middle of town, especially not in broad daylight.
“Get me away from here. Quickly!”
As Landon struggled to keep the Wolf at bay, Kurt sped down side streets and alleys to get his friend away from the hot-zone. Vamps in the city had taken them both by surprise, and Landon’s Wolf was not inclined to tolerate trespassers.
“We need to get this shit cleared up…and I mean fast,” Landon spoke as soon as he could. His breathing had returned to normal; his fangs retracted; and his eyes were returning to the blue pools of color that ladies seemed to find so mesmerizing.
“When will your friends be here?” Kurt asked tightly. He was mentally stepping through the girls’ schedule. He would most likely have to send them to his parents’ house in Indiana for a visit. He would like to send Becki as well, but she was a little more difficult to remove without suspicion. Becki would definitely be more difficult to remove without a fight.
“Everyone will be in place within the next two hours,” Landon assured him.
#
Sean answered the door as Kurt and Landon arrived for their scheduled meeting even later than expected.
“Hi Sean,” Kurt said. “Are you ready to get down to business?”
“Yes, Sir, Royce is just finishing up on a phone call. He’ll be out shortly.”
As the men moved into the living room where Sean had set up his computers, they tried not to listen to Royce’s private conversation.
“Ok, babe, I’ll see you soon. I know, it’s been too long. Yes, two years too long. Be safe. We’ll catch up as soon as you get in town, maybe over lunch. I love you too, sweetheart… can’t wait to see you,” Royce said with a smile as he entered the living room. “Hey, I need to go,” Royce said as soon as he spotted Kurt and Landon. “We’ll talk later.”
“Could I interest you in doughnuts or coffee?” Sean offered, oblivious to the fact that Kurt and Landon had just heard Royce speaking words of love to someone on the phone. It was obvious that “someone” had not been Becki.
“Good morning, Gentlemen,” Royce said offering a handshake to his guests.
Both men stood glaring. Neither made a move to accept his hand. They looked as if they would tear him apart within the next few seconds.
Sean noticed the body language of their visitors and suddenly realized what they had overheard.
“Royce was just talking to his sister, who is on her way here to help with the mission.”
Both men relaxed simultaneously, and Kurt accepted Royce’s outstretched hand. As Royce turned to shake hands with Landon, he saw remnants of yellow specks in Landon’s eyes.
“We all ok here?” he asked cautiously.
“Yes,” Landon reassured him, “we ran into some trouble on the way here. Do