Chapter 17 -Iris

I sat out on the back porch, watching the trees sway in the wind and listening to birdsong as it echoed around me. It was a beautiful view. I cradled my tea, staring out and watching it, enjoying the silence and tranquility.

Suddenly, my stomach lurched, but not in anxiety or dread. It was something moving inside me. One of the babies was kicking.

I gave a soft, breathless laugh, placing my hand on my stomach, feeling something pressing against my stomach as the baby rolled around.

I wished Alek was there. It was a special moment, one I wanted to share with him. I knew he would be ecstatic, his face lighting up as his large hand rested on my stomach.

Things had changed so much over the last few weeks. When I'd gotten here, I hadn't been sure how I felt about being taken against my will. I'd been furious, absolutely, but I hadn't missed being around Dad and Jason. Now, it was impossible to think I would ever want to be anywhere but here. And I could tell how much I'd changed for the better: I was more confident, in myself and my abilities. I also felt accepted, which was more than I'd ever felt back in the village.

In short, everything seemed to be going perfect.

My tea was getting cold. I pushed myself out of the chair and went back inside. Tannen looked up from where he was on his computer.

"Everything all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course." I held up my tea mug. "Just thirsty."

He nodded, looking back down at his laptop. "Alek will be back soon," he said. "His meeting shouldn't take much longer."

"I appreciate you sticking around," I said. "Sorry, it's a bit dull."

He shrugged. "I'd rather dull than the alternative, you know?"

"Honestly, I'm surprised you're not peppering me with more questions. Alek told me you were the inquisitive type."

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm insanely curious about you and your psychic abilities," he admitted. "But Alek also told me specifically not to do that. Because either you would tear my head off, or he would."

I laughed. "Yeah, you're not wrong. Want some tea?"

"If you're already fixing some, that'd be great, thanks."

Just as I was about to reach for the kettle to put it on the stove, my back stiffened. Something was wrong. I could feel it deep down; it vibrated in my bones. But I had no idea what it was. Only that it was bad, and it was close.

I glanced upstairs, thinking about my phone charging on the nightstand. Alek had told me to call him if anything felt off. The hair on my arms standing on end and my senses on high alert were enough evidence to me that something felt very off.

"Tannen," I said, my voice hoarse as my mouth dried up.

Tannen sprung to his feet, sniffing the air as he tried to locate the threat.

"What is it? Did you see something?"

Before I could answer, a knock sounded on the door, and my entire body seized. I knew that knock.

A second later, the sound of splintering wood exploded through the house as someone bashed in the front door. A gun went off, piercing my eardrums. I turned just in time to see Tannen crumple to the ground with a loud thump.

"Oh, God, Tannen." He's dead, please don't let him be dead. I remembered the thump from my vision, but had never seen who it was.

I took a step toward him, then froze as a familiar figure strolled in, the barrel of a gun glinting in one hand and the blade of a knife shining in the other.

"Dad," I said.

He gave me the exact same smile he had in my vision. Behind him, Jason appeared, just as smug and holding the same rope.

"Time to come home now, Iris," Dad said, and Jason lunged toward me.

I knew what was going to happen, and I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it. I had to run for the door because it was my only exit, even though I knew someone was there. It was my only chance of getting out at all. And since I knew the figure was there, I could dart around him. The vision had always ended with him.

All those thoughts happened in less than a second. I screamed, darting around my brother, his hands just barely missing my shirt. I dashed toward the door, knowing that the faceless figure was going to emerge, hoping that maybe it was Alek. I'd never seen who it was.

But when I raced for the door and the figure stepped in front of me, it wasn't Alek.

It was Dan.

He was leering down at me with a smug smile on his face, showing all his teeth as I nearly barreled into him. I was so startled that I nearly tripped. What on earth was he doing? He hated humans. Panic raced through me. How the hell was I supposed to get past a shifter? Heart pounding, I tried to move around him, but it was no use. He was blocking the entire exit.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dan asked. The instant I was within arm's reach, he lashed out, strong hands wrapping around my wrist and squeezing so tight, I thought it would break my bones. I cried out, more in pain than in terror. He barked out a laugh as he yanked me toward him. As I struggled and fought to get away, screaming the entire time, he spun me around and forced my arms behind my back. None of my kicks did anything, neither did my wriggling. Even trying to bite him only made him laugh harder. He held me in place as Jason wrapped the rope around my wrists, cinching tight.

"That should be good," Jason said, tying the final knot.

"Tight enough?" Dad asked.

Jason snorted. "She's not going anywhere. Are ya, sis?"

I flexed my fingers, trying to tug or break free, but I knew he was right. My hands were already growing cold from lack of circulation. I wriggled my fingers, trying to find the knot, but wherever it was, I couldn't reach it. Heart thumping, I turned to look at Tannen. He was still on the floor, unmoving. There was blood on the couch and floor. I prayed for him to move, but he remained still.

"I thought you hated humans," I said to Dan. It was the only thing I could think to say.

He shrugged. "I don't think shifters and humans should mix," he said. "The sooner you and your abominations are out of here, the quicker things can go back to normal."

"How did you find him, anyway?" I turned to Dad, but he just laughed.

"He found us," Dad responded.

My stomach flipped and twisted into a knot tighter than the one binding my wrists together. I turned to look back at Dan, who shrugged.

"Look, Dad, you don't want me to come back with you," I said. "You hate me. You and Jason both do. Just untie me, and we can go our separate ways and never see each other again. We'll all be happier."

Dad shook his head. "I told you what would happen the next time you started seeing someone behind my back again."

I didn't think arguing I'd been kidnapped by Alek was going to do me any favors. Just stall, I told myself. The longer I stall, the more likely it is that Alek will come home.

"You hate me," I argued. "Why do you give a fuck? I was out of your hair."

He shrugged but didn't provide an answer. I knew he wasn't going to. His eyes were cool and almost bored, as if I were an unpleasant chore that needed to be done before he could get on with the rest of the day.

"I'm pregnant," I blurted out. "You don't want to deal with that."

I'd expected surprise, but instead, he just clicked his tongue. "I know," he said. "We'll worry about that when the time comes."

My heart sank. The biggest argument I had, the one I'd thought would get me out of this, didn't matter.

"You should get going," Dan said. "He'll be back soon."

"We got what we came for," Dad said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "No need for us to stay any longer."

The words sent new spasms of panic and fight through me. They were about to take me back to the village. Back to the basement. Away from Alek.

I screamed, trying to wriggle away, but Dad's hand just gripped tighter. I tried to slam my foot down on his, but again, nothing.

"Knock it off." Dad cuffed me over the head. When I kept struggling, a cold circle pressed against my forehead, and I froze. "I said, knock it off."

"Seems like you've got everything under control," Dan said to Dad, smirking.

"We still don't like your kind, wolf," Dad retorted coolly. "Just remember what we told you."

"I will."

"In that case, you ought to get out of here as quickly as possible." Dad glanced at me, his grin malicious and cold. "Now that we've found our beloved daughter and she's back with us, things will be moving a lot faster."

I had no idea what they were talking about, and at that moment, I didn't particularly care. I desperately wanted to get out of this situation, but I couldn't figure out anything. My hands were bound too tight, and if I tried running, the shifter would catch me in a minute, assuming I didn't trip and break my neck—or my father didn't shoot me first.

My attempts at stalling weren't working, either, as Dad and Jason kept pushing me toward the door. Every time I tried to drag my feet or take a while, I'd get a push between the shoulder blades or a prod with the gun barrel.

As we stepped out of the house, Dan paused, looking around. "I'll cover your scents for you," he said to Dad. "Otherwise, Alek will track you in all of two minutes."

My stomach clenched again, contorting into a knot. They were trying to make it impossible for Alek to find me. If they succeeded, I'd be locked away forever. I knew my father well enough to know that he would carry out his threat of locking me in the basement.

I couldn't go back. I wouldn't.

I opened my mouth to scream, hoping that maybe someone would come running. But before I could utter a sound, Jason held a cloth in front of my face.

"Make a sound, and this gets shoved in your mouth," he warned.

Ignoring him, I let out a piercing shriek that was stifled seconds later when cloth filled my mouth, forcing my tongue down and muting any sounds I tried to make.

"Come on," Dad said. "We're wasting daylight."

And my brother and father dragged me into the woods, away from Alek.