CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

Master Hadden put in a call to his second in command, Josef, to check on the situation at the lodge and to update Josef as to the status of Pittsburgh and the quest to find a Charmer.

"Zac has networked with covens throughout the nation and beyond, and so far, no one has information on a charmer. Battiste believes he may have a lead, but it is not in this realm." Josef informed and then added. "Everyone has stepped up, and they’re doing their absolute best and more. The membership is exemplary. We could not have a better bunch of people to be going through this with, and that includes the new members."

"I agree we have been very fortunate in the caliber of people who answered my call. An extra two hundred strong and capable soldiers will help maintain this city and hold back the insidious blight that threatens us. We are privileged in so many ways and I try to remember that." Nik appreciated both the strength and resilience of his people during this crisis.

"Walker misses you Nik, desperately." Josef told him and waited a few seconds for Nik to be able to answer. Emotions were raw among those separated from their beloveds.

"I miss him too," Nik finally said, his emotion thick in his words. "My entire body aches for him." He paused for a moment and then added. "I’ll visit over the weekend. The new people are settled and have received their assignments. Tell him to pack because he's coming home with me. I need him here."

"He needs you too. It will be good to see you, Nik."

"I'll leave tomorrow and arrive sometime in the evening. I'll keep you posted.

"See you then. Safe travels."

Kannan walked into the Ruby Light and the first thing he noticed was the atmosphere. It was lighter and easier than most establishments and he attributed it to the number of people, his people inside trying to have a good time. It made him smile and relax knowing he was among his own.

Gage quickly waved him over to his table, which was already nearly full. "I’ll take a seat at the bar for now," Kannan told him. He headed to the bar to order and find a seat. He recognized most of the clientele and the staff, too, for that matter. The Hadden Coven owned the Ruby Light, and it was staffed by coven members. These members chose not to evacuate to the mountain lodge and volunteered to maintain the coven businesses.

They were well protected and resided at the Imperial with the soldiers. Everyone resided at the Imperial Club and no one still within the city lived on their own. The threat of the curse and the power it gave to the darkness made it imperative that the members still in the city reside together in one spot that could be effectively defended in case of emergency.

He sat and drank his gin and surveyed the room. The doors constantly opened and closed as people came and went in a sea of activity. Kannan closed his eyes for a moment and simply felt the energy churning around him. It was positive and hopeful and spiked with anticipation. He enjoyed the pleasant vibe of the room and the people and then suddenly something changed.

He snapped his eyes open and searched the room, but nothing looked different. He felt a tightening in his gut that warned him that something was happening or was about to happen, and he always trusted his gut. Someone was there who hadn't been there before.

Eric walked through the doors at nine-thirty, and the place was absolutely packed. He hated crowds, and this place was beyond crowded. Several people bumped into him, knocking him back and forth as he made his way deeper into the room. Chester came up to him and grabbed him by the arm.

"I'm glad you made it." He spoke loudly over the music that was playing. "We're over here come on." He kept hold of Eric's upper arm and steered him over to a booth in the back. Ron was there and two men that Eric was not familiar with were also there.

Ron jumped up and motioned for Eric to sit. He shook his head no since it would put him right next to one of the guys he didn't know, and Eric didn't want to get trapped in a booth. He grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the end of the booth and sat down.

"You are so ridiculous, Eric," Ron whined and shook his head as he moved over to the other side of the booth and sat down next to Chester. "This is Cal and Rule." He introduced the two men who were obviously sizing Eric up. "Two new friends I met when we arrived." That sounded suspicious, and Eric suddenly felt his anxiety spiking.

Ron then turned to the two men and introduced Eric. The one called Cal reached out his hand to Eric, and although his intuition told him to ignore it, his good manners had him taking the man's hand. "Pleased to meet you, Eric." The man said, his tone confusing, and the way he traded glances with his friend caused Eric's gut to tighten further.

Eric abruptly stood and looked toward the bar. "I’m going to get a beer." He said and started toward the bar, and before he knew it, Cal was at his side.

"I'll go with you." He said and fell into step beside him.

Kannan was ordering a second gin and tonic when Michael, his commander, walked up and sat beside him. Kannan sat a little straighter in his seat and gave him his full attention.

"Relax, man." Michael chuckled and patted his arm. "You’re here to unwind." He noticed Michael"s beloved Cole take the seat next to him and introduced himself.

"Pleased to meet you Cole." He was one of the few beloveds that resided at the Imperial. His computer skills and overall stellar intelligence were needed in the Pittsburgh location. Several other IT professionals also volunteered to stay but they weren't bonded like Cole.

"Gage would like for you to come to the table he doesn't like seeing you sitting alone." Michael told him and they both glanced over their shoulders at Gage waving him back.

"I'll finish this drink and then head back." He said. They chatted for a while, and then Michael and Cole excused themselves and left the bar. Kannan was about to head back to Gage's table when he was once again assailed by that sense of urgency. He'd felt it about a half hour ago, but it had dissipated. Now it was back, full force and making his gut churn with apprehension.

He looked around trying to tie the scent or feeling rather with something or someone close by, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary. "Another one?" The bartender broke his concentration.

"Yes, thank you." He said, again focusing on his immediate surroundings. He could see Gage and the others waving him over to their table, but he needed to stay put for a few minutes. Whatever he was sensing was important everything in him was telling him to find the source.

Eric was not happy with Cal glued to his side. The guy was crowding him and touching him without asking. This was not what he'd anticipated when he agreed to meet Ron and Chester for drinks. "Losen up, baby." Cal bent to whisper in his ear, and it was cringy. Eric stepped to the side in an attempt to put some distance between them, but Cal followed the move and tried to slip his arm around Eric's waist.

"Look, no offense, but I’m just here for a few beers, and then I’m heading back home. I’m not looking for a hook-up." Eric tried to make himself clear, but the strange grin never left Cal"s face.

"Your friend Ron said you need a night of surprise and excitement, and I’m just the guy to deliver." He leaned in again, but Eric dodged him.

Eric became stern and turned to the bar and ordered his beer without responding. He kept his focus on the bar and ignored him as best he could and finally the guy went back to the table. Eric gave a sigh of relief and dropped his head to the bar for a second before sitting back up.

"Was he giving you a hard time?" Eric swung his head to the right when he heard the soft words. Normally, he would have ignored the man, but his tone and expression were welcoming and warm. It was weird, but Eric felt at ease with him. Whereas Cal had repulsed him, this man did not. He shook his head and gave a slight grin.

"He didn't want to take "get lost" for an answer, unfortunately."

"He went back to your table." The man said and Eric turned to see that Cal was sitting there staring daggers at him.

"I should have stayed home this was such a bad idea." Eric moaned and took a drink of his beer.

"Stay here at the bar. Maybe he’ll get tired of waiting and try his luck elsewhere." That sounded like a plan, but just then, Ron came charging up to the bar, all demanding and irritated.

"Eric, why do you insist on being such a bitch?" He started, but Eric was not in the mood.

"I'm outa here." He said and downed his beer. He nodded to the kind stranger to his right and headed for the door. Ron followed him but finally relented. He turned back at the door and did not follow him outside, thank God. Ron was an aggravating nuisance, and Eric had had enough. Maybe it was time to start Operation Grey Rock because Chester was clearly unwilling to make the guy back off.

Kannan was intrigued by the man from the moment he sat down. The other man was an unwanted distraction, and thankfully, he was forced to leave, but Kannan had the feeling that he was still not taking no for an answer. He'd gotten a weird vibe from the wolf shifter, and it left him concerned for the young human. Eric seemed to have a sense that things were not right, but his friend Ron was completely clueless or a party to the scheme. The wolf was treating the human like prey.

He noticed Eric smelled strong of wolf shifter, so Cal was deliberately getting his scent all over the man. Acquaintances usually did not do such a thing it was only those who were romantically serious that flooded a person with their scent. He did not get the sense that Cal was serious only that he was relentless.

When Cal and his friend got up and rushed out the door after Eric, he had his answer about the wolf"s intent. Kannan motioned to Gage, letting him know that he was stepping outside, and quickly followed the wolf shifters. He stepped out onto the sidewalk among a crowd of people, and it took him a minute to pick up their scent. His sense of urgency escalated, and his need to find Eric became critical.

Eric wasn't going to sit around that fucking bar and do as Ron demanded. Who the hell was that guy anyway? He didn't have the right to make Eric jump to his tune. This was ridiculous, and it ended now.

Chester was blowing up his phone, but to hell with the two of them. He didn't have to live his life to please them, and besides, Cal was a creep, and his friend probably was too. He was going home, and he would not be duped into ever joining Ron and Chester again.

It had started to rain, so he ducked his head down and hurried along. He thought about the handsome man at the bar and wished he'd met him first. The guy had manners, at least, and seemed pleasant to talk to. Unfortunately, Cal and the rest of them made it impossible for Eric to stay. He hadn't even gotten the guy"s name.

He was so caught up in his fury that he did not hear the two men closing in on him when he turned left into an alleyway that was an unfortunate shortcut to the lot where he'd parked his car. "Don't run away sweetheart." Came the nauseating tone he tried to run, but the pair were on him in an instant.

Kannan rushed through the rain, feeling a panic that pushed him to go faster. There was something he needed to attend to, and he needed to do it now. Again, he never second-guessed his instincts, so he pushed through the crowd and jogged along as he followed the scent of the two shifters.

When he reached the entrance to the alley he heard it before he saw it and to see it was heartbreaking. Eric was frantically shouting for them to leave him alone and then suddenly there was a thud and then no sound. Kannan ran through the rain, his feet pounding the pavement as he pushed himself to go faster.

The minute they saw him the shifters tried to grab the young human and run but Kannan was faster. He was able to tackle the one named Cal and slammed him into the wall. The other one took off leaving his friend to face the consequences. Cal dropped Eric who hit the ground and rolled against the building foundation. He was not moving, and that fact tore through Kannan setting his anger on fire.

"He's just a human; why do you care what we do?" Cal tried to speak as he pulled himself to his feet after Kannan knocked him to the ground. For a wolf, he wasn't very agile, hitting the ground hard and fumbling through his attacks. Kannan glanced over at Eric, who was lying still and silent against the stone wall, his anger spiking all over again.

"What kind of man attacks a helpless human and brings a friend along to help? You’re weak and a coward."

"He led us on and then tried to run away." The wolf spat out and lunged for Kannan who struck him squarely in the chest sending him flying backward against the stone wall once again. This time when he gained his feet he took off in the opposite direction disappearing down the long dark alley way. Kannan contemplated going after him but Eric needed him.

The rain continued to pound, making the stone wall glisten. He pushed his wet hair out of his face and moved to check on Eric. He hoped he had intervened soon enough, and they hadn't hurt him too badly. He was soaked to the skin when he got to him lying there on the cold ground and Kannan had a strange tremor course through his body as he took a breath and reached out to roll Eric onto his back.

Kannan's hands shook as he smoothed the hair back from Eric's face and looked down into that soft expression. It was the face of an angel, and the significance of this man hit him like a hammer between the eyes. If he'd known who Eric was, those wolves would have never been allowed to run away. Even now, he fought with his instincts to go after them and make them pay for their treatment of his most beautiful beloved. The rain had washed away the smell of the wolf and the bar and left the scent of cinnamon and vanilla the scent of his beloved.

He could feel that Eric was hurt and needed to be seen by a doctor soon. The knock he received on the head had rendered him unconscious, and the following assault had caused cuts and bruising and perhaps broken bones. The more he studied his beloved, the more his anger grew, and he knew that sooner or later, he would be compelled to hunt down the shifters who did this. Again, he cursed himself for letting them go, but he couldn't leave Eric.

"You'll be okay my sweetheart. I'll take care of you." Kannan assured him as he lifted the rather small man into his arms and headed to his vehicle parked a few blocks away. Eric wasn't moving but he was breathing, and his heart held a steady beat and that was a great relief.

Kannan called his commander, Micheal, and let him know he was bringing a human to his quarters. He asked that a doctor be present as the human was injured. When asked why, he shared with his commander that the man, Eric, was his beloved.