Chapter 19: Chapter 19
And just when they all turned their black eyes his way and started to shapeshift, a Male human was pushed in through the door and he stumbled and fell on the concrete floor in between the cell blocks. He shrieked when he looked up and saw the Weres shapeshifting.
Angel recognised him as one of the men that used to accompany Alexander to visit Antonio Rufus in the past. The conversation in the study earlier replayed in his head and he realized the man could help his course. The Were closest to him pounced out of the cell and before he could grab the human, Angel leapt, wrapped his arms around the Were's middle, shifted his body sideways and threw him backwards. The human let out a loud yelp.
Angel picked him up next as if he weighed nothing and ran back to the end of the cell block. Pulling open his cell door, he dropped and pushed him inside.
"Thank you!" the human repeatedly says.
"Who are you and why do they want you dead?" Angel asked.
"I … I am Aaron. I know you! You must have seen me here before … Uhm … My boss’s son was kidnapped b - by your kind and I was … um…" he faltered with his eyes darting to the growling Weres still shapeshifting. His terror was palpable.
"Focus! I don’t have all day!" Angel growled.
"I was supposed to direct Antonio Rufus and his men to their location but that damn Daniel convinced him he doesn't need me after I told them the area."
"I see… Do you think Antonio Rufus is any match for these Weres?"
"They are all Weres, man, and a pack of them, it's going to be tough. Their leader is pretty fierce. He killed my boss. See, I … I have no quarrel with your kind, man! I only follow orders… You understand?” he babbled on.
Angel was glad to hear that even the legendary Alexander's sidekick knew it wouldn’t be as easy as Antonio Rufus imagined. "I'm going to help you survive Daniel, and get you on that island but you have to do something for me…"
"Anything, please. I will do anything!" Aaron promptly replied.
"Good," Angel said, locking the human inside his cell and pushing back from the cell door.
“Please, don’t leave me here…” Aaron whined, moving back to cower at the foot of Angel’s bed.
“Stay put. I promise you, didn't I?” Angel replied. Aaron nodded, bobbing his head.
Angel returned his attention to the Weres and saw that although Kurt had shifted to his primal form, he was still unsteady on his paws. Angel could smell the unmistakable stench of wolfbane on his friend. He locked him too inside the cell, hoping the dose fired into his body was not lethal.
Standing guard to the doors, he watched the other Weres come out one by one and started to rush at him.
Angel let out a loud howl and barrelled down the pathway at them all. The one he threw was still down and he hoped he hadn't killed him.
The first Were to get to him got a hard punch to its jaw, causing him to whine loudly. He figured since Daniel's aim was to have the wolves tear the human into shreds just for being there, and then come at him, he thought to lure them out to the open where he would have enough space to evade them and not be forced to kill them to save himself.
Half-shifting, he scaled over them, holding on to the iron bars. And in desperation to get to him, the other Weres swung their claws at him with jaws wide open in the hope to sink their sharp teeth into his body parts. A few hit their mark, clawing at his legs but he didn't stop. Running up the iron ladder he used the previous night, the others followed him at full speed. Using all his might, Angel pushed up the iron lid, creating a dent and causing the hinges to pull off. One of the Weres got him in the leg and bit hard into his flesh. Angel grunted and swung his leg against the iron wall flanking him, the Were whimpered as his side connected with the hard surface. Angel smashed him again and again against the iron until he lost his hold on him and crashed over the others, causing a few to tumble down below.
"Sorry," he mumbled with gritted teeth and pushed off the heavy iron lead, covering the hole. He leapt out then, landing on the snow-dusted plain in the open field. He drew in the fresh, chilly air and let out a loud howl, feeling his cuts and bite marks automatically knit together – healing. Despite the circumstances, he felt the rush of excitement and the adrenaline made his heart pump harder. He was a predator by nature, and it's been a while since he embraced his primal form. He felt renewed.
The other Weres started to scale out of the hole too, pouncing on the snow. Angel straightened his shoulders, parted his legs and hunched slightly, ready for a fight.
About six Weres leapt, and four others rushed at him at full speed. Angel waited till when they were about four feet away thinking to fully shift but then he perceived Antonio Rufus and Mathew in the vicinity and then Nadia!
Taking a deep breath, he half-shifted then, snarled loudly, and jumped. Gripping the jugular of one, he threw it away to his right, wrapped his strong arm around another to use him as a shield and apologized mentally when the Were whined.
He punched another in the flank, apologizing yet again as he decapitated them one after the other. When he landed still holding one, he threw the Were to the side and snarled again at the remaining ones stalking him.
A loud scream rented the air and then sounds of gunshots joined in. Angel looked to his left and saw that one of the Weres he threw had landed in the middle of some of the guards watching the fight, and attacked one. The man lay on the ground bleeding from the neck. The others started to fire at the Were which scaled up a tree to evade them.
Angel barrelled in their direction to make them stop. None of them saw him coming. It was even more horrific because the other Weres chased after him, tearing into the guards as if they were paper. Blood and dismembered corpses littered the field.
Angel heard the sound of a truck and looked in that direction and saw some of the guards peeking out of the windows of the truck fully armed.
Angel knew then that Daniel must be in the vehicle. He pranced forward, rushing after it. The guards began to fire shots at him, but he was able to evade a few. The bullets hit his chest, flank and shoulders, but he didn't stop. Weaving through the bullets, he went to the side of the Jeep, matching its speed and was side by side with the truck. He took a side glance at Daniel in the passenger’s seat. Although the other man looked peeved, Angel could smell his fear. He snarled, causing the driver to lose control. The truck dropped into an uneven patch, pounced and tumbled.
Breathing hard, Angel stopped to watch and then strode close to the smoking vehicle to pull the passenger door open, watching blood trickle down Daniel's forehead. The windscreen had broken and caved in.
Angel changed to his full human form, reached for Daniel's forearm and put off the mind-controlling device strapped around his wrist. He had seen the bastard operate it countless times and knew just how it worked. The grounds went deathly quiet.
Daniel's eyes flickered open. He first seemed disoriented and then he met Angel’s gaze.. Angel grinned at him but his eyes were icy cold.
"Glad you are safe, boss," Angel said and pulled him roughly out of the wreck with the seat-belt and all, causing Daniel to pass out from the pain. Angel hoisted him up and put him over a shoulder, deliberately swinging to the left, Daniel's head hit metal. A loud groan emitted from him.
"You fucking animal!" he grunted, "I know you did that on purpose. I swear you will…" he said and then let out a loud pain-filled cry when Angel made him hit his head again.
"You should hold still, boss, you might develop a concussion," Angel mocked.