*Bez Soznaniya Krasa* Mistik Refuge (BurningWillows & Georgie_Leech)

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor assumed they were talking about Nina's mystery visitor. "It seems prudent, if you don't put yourself at too much risk. Whoever he is, he's proven that he's willing to talk, even if was to drive a wedge between us. If we're careful, we might be able to get more out of him." He knew there was no way he could stop Nina in particular from chasing after them if she started though, so he did his best to warn them of the potential dangers. "Be careful though. If you follow a dryad out into the woods, they become a lot stronger, especially if their Tree is nearby. They have some ability to manipulate plants, and their ability to influence minds is much stronger in forests, approaching mind control. Keep a firm grip on your purpose and who you are, or they might worm their way in."

 

[BurningWillows]

"I'm stronger in the forest too though," Nina challenged back, her pride taking over common sense.

"You can't out race mind control," Derek muttered, looking at her, "Remember that."

"So what do we do then?" Taryn asked, getting to her feet, "If Nina is busy with these dryads, what about Mistik? Is it still open? What about the psycho running loose on the streets?"

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor considered for a moment, but he'd been thinking about this the last week already. "So far most of the victims have been isolated in some way. They may have had their contacts or friends, but they've usually lived alone. I think it wouldn't be a bad idea for the word to get out that Mistik is a place where those that are worried can go to be around others that are like them. I'm not sure what to do about my employees yet, who are human as far as I can tell, so they wouldn't be able to be in the open, but there's some safety in numbers at least."

He turned to Derek. "Speaking of which, a buddy system of some sort would be a good idea. It's a lot harder to attack victims when there's another person to help, or at least scream loudly and attract attention. I understand you're how Nina knows who to talk to about Mistik; do you think you could organise something like that for those that have to walk home from work or the like?"

 

[BurningWillows]

Derek nodded, "I'll get the information out. It's about time the community knows what we are dealing with. But Dr. Mor, Drew if I can call you that, once the community knows, so will our killer. He will know we are on to him, and its a matter of time before he narrows us down."

"He'll get more violent," Nina explained, "He's a predator. Right now, he thinks he has the upper hand, that no one knows about him. Like a stalking cougar. Once we put him out in the open though he will try and attack. Best to get to us before we get to him."

"I'd also like to talk about Mistik," Nina continued, switching subjects again, "You want a refuge for supernaturals feeling alone. It won't do to have them still pretending to be normal around your employees. They need to feel completely comfortable in their own skins there."

"Your right little wolf," Derek elbowed her playfully before moving into the kitchen for a glass of water, "You won't get many to open up unless they feel completely safe."

Nina clapped her hands, feeling suddenly exhausted and hungry, "So I'll work on our new occult friends, Mor will work on Mistik...Taryn you have paperwork duty -there's a lot to go through there- and Derek, you are coming with me."

"I thought I was going to spread the word to the masses," Derek joked, returning to the living room.

"You are. And then we are going to hunt down a missing person."

 

[BurningWillows]

He flipped furiously through his tiny book, reading the engraved names on it as he had done countless times before. This man wasn't on it. Why wasn't he on it?

It had to be done though. He couldn't leave this new presence alone, not when he found him lingering around a crime scene. His crime scene. The police were still unsure, the media lost, but this man, this...dryad...had figured it out.

He had been stupid to think she had been alone. Everything contradicted him from the start. They always stayed close to one another. But she had been alone for so long...he was sure she had outcasted herself. Maybe he was wrong, maybe there was something else in play. It didn't matter now, he had the dryad looking into her death. Once he was dead, there would be no trail left to follow.

He hadn't meant to kidnap him. A simple, terrible mistake. But the man was too nosey, and he had to rid of him. He needed to turn eyes away from him. But now...now this man was missing, and it would bring more attention.

Unless...

Unless he could blame it on another.

​

Hours later Nina sat in Derek's apartment, munching on steak and potatoes at his new mahogany dining table. Drew and Taryn and left shortly after there long talk, and Nina had promised to keep him updated. Sadly she also knew she wouldn't see him for awhile. With the fae after him, Katerina couldn't risk exposing him or leading them any closer than they already were. She needed to continue to entertain them, keep them focused on trying to break Nina and Drew apart.

Derek sat at the other end of the table, eating while he sorted through a few blueprints. H'd made a rough sketch of her apartment, including all doors and they were trying to pinpoint how the fae continued to get inside.

"They could simply be posing as a delivery man, or something," Derek offered, "Getting another tenant to open the door and then breaking into your apartment."

"It's curious though," Nina replied, scrolling through notes and websites on her laptop she had brought, "Drew gave me some quick tips about dryads, and he mentioned them being connected to trees. From all the sites I've looked at, dryads shouldn't be able to move far from them."

"Maybe they have their trees in Toronto," Derek shrugged, "It's not too important."

"But it is," Nina stabbed a chunk of steak as she spoke, "The don't originate in North America. Wherever they are from, they can't just uproot their tree and travel with it."

"What happens if they are too far?"

"I'm not sure. There are many theories. I'll text Drew and ask. Maybe they did do something to get here safely."

"You're looking for weaknesses," Derek summed up, eyeing her, "You said you wouldn't hurt them little wolf."

"I won't," Nina frowned, "But if I can find the tree, or whatever it is keeping them connected, I can bargain with them. Maybe negotiate."

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Before he left, Mor reminded Nina that it had been about a week since he had treated the wound, so it should be about healed. A quick examination revealed that it had scarred over as expected, and it was still tender, but there was no longer any danger of it ripping open if she transformed. He cautioned her to take it easy if possible, but that there shouldn't be any problems unless she managed to get in another fight.

Taryn was quiet on the way back to Mistik. Mor supposed that she had a lot on her mind, after everything that had happened in the last day. Mor could understand that; he was having a hard time processing everything himself. Rather than drive directly back, he meandered, taking turns on a whim and generally just moving with traffic. Taryn didn't seem to mind, or at least, she didn't vocally object.

When they finally made their way back to Mistik, several hours had passed, and the sun was beginning to set. Taryn hopped out of the car immediately, bags in hand. He knew she was eager to get her room set up the way she liked.

However, Mor remained inside the car. He knew Nina had a point; it wasn't reasonable to expect supernaturals to feel safe at Mistik when they had to hide their nature, just like everywhere else. He knew this would have come up eventually, but he hadn't expected it so soon. Though he wasn't all that close to his employees, he still felt... responsible, in a way. Somehow, it seemed like letting them go without ensuring they had other options was letting them down.

This is ridiculous. Even if it's my responsibility, which it isn't, it's not like they're helpless without me. Miss Jones will be going back to college soon, and Aras is more than qualified to get a job anywhere else in the city. Honestly, I don't even know the groundskeeper's name, and he presumably got along just fine before I came along. I just need to bite the proverbial bullet and get it over with. Mor took a deep breath to steady himself, then forced himself to get out of his car.

It was late enough that Miss Jones would have gone home already, but Aras would likely be just finishing up in the kitchen. Mor walked slowly to the mess hall. He paused outside the door, hand hovering over the handle. I can do this. Just open the door. Before he could talk himself out of it, he grabbed the door and rushed inside.

 

[BurningWillows]

Derek had furnished his house since Nina had last visited. It had only been a day or two, but he had gotten his new dining room table, with beautiful leather chairs to match, and some appliances for his kitchen. He also had his bedroom mostly unpacked, and his bathroom seemed full stocked. His living room was still quite empty, no furniture other than a raggety old armchair Derek explained belong to his father. The Pack he belonged to had kept it in storage when his father had passed, and they had recently sent it to him when they had found it.

Katerina rarely heard about the Pack Derek belonged to, and was intrigued by he furniture. She wanted to ask more about them, why they let him live in Canada, who they were...how many werewolves were there? But she held her tongue in respect, noticing the sad look behind Derek's eyes when he mentioned the chair. He missed the Pack, or his father. Possibly both.

Derek offered her the seat and she took it gratefully, propping her laptop on her lap. She sent a quick text to Drew about the trees, adding at the end that she still had no intentions of harming them, whether that was true or not. As much as she wanted to believe she had that kind of self control, Nina knew better. If it came down to it, she wouldn't let them near her friends. Even Taryn, she thought, throwing the young girl into the group.

Taryn barely noticed the ride home. When they finally pulled into the Refuge and she lifted her head, she was surprised to see the sun setting. They must have driven for hours; Drew had given her the extra time to think and reflect. She murmured a hasty goodnight as she grabbed all her shopping bags and shuffled into the main building. No one was at the front desk, but the lights were still on. Slowly she made her way to her new apartment. It was dark when she walked in and clicking the light switch on illuminated the large room.

Taking a moment to imagine all the furniture in place, Taryn couldn't help but smile. She could make a home out of her new little condo in the Refuge. And out here she felt suddenly at ease, as if the city had been suffocating her. She was safe in the woods, hidden away from the lengthy dangers that seemed to await them everywhere now.

Without any hangers for the small closet, or a wardrobe, Taryn could only leave her new clothes in their bags on the spare bed. She'd asked Drew earlier if he was okay if she got rid of the beds, even put them in storage if he liked and he'd agreed to putting them in the basement storage room. Her new queen sized mattress and frame would arrive tomorrow, along with the rest of her new furniture. The bachelor style apartment suited her, and she had gotten a nice balcony view to boot.

She wandered around the room a bit, bored but tired. Still, she didn't feel like sleeping, but there was little to do in her room. Without a laptop, there wasn't much else but...the file.

Taryn had almost forgotten she'd slipped it into one of her bags. Searching them, she found the neat folder and pulled it out, spreading its contents on the floor. Sitting cross-legged amongst them she began reading each one carefully, ensuring she caught anything that could help them.

 

[Georgie_Leech]

When Mor stepped into the mess hall, he found Aras already packing up for the night. A ruthless corner of his thoughts pointed out it would be easier to fire him if he was already packed up to leave, before he squashed it down. This would be difficult, but he felt that he owed Aras more than just tossing him aside like a used piece of trash.

Aras paused from his packing to glance in Mor's direction. "You're back late boss. Saved you some salad, if you're hungry." Before Mor could protest, Aras vanished into the kitchen. He returned with a garden salad, garnished with a light vinaigrette and sprinkled with walnuts and blue cheese. It looked delicious, and Mor's stomach reminded him that he really hadn't eaten much that day. His hunger warred with his guilt. Aras took the opportunity to guide Mor to one of the tables, where he slid the salad in front of him.

To Mor's surprise, rather than resuming getting his things, Aras sat at the table with him. An awkward silence ensued as both seemed to be struggling to say something, or at least how to say it. Mor stared at his salad, trying to muster the courage to explain that Aras had to leave.

Aras took a deep breath, then spoke casually. Or at least, he seemed to be trying to; something about his tone screamed out that he was being as casual as possible, somewhat ruining the effect. "Haven't seen your friend Nina for a while. Will the little wolf be coming back?"

Mor looked up quickly, choking on a walnut chunk. What? He knows she's a wolf? How?! His heart raced. Mor tried to rein in his thoughts. That makes no sense. He was never around when we discussed it, and I'm sure he never saw her transform. There's no way he could be talking about that. Aware that he was taking to long to respond, he gave a cough to clear his throat and laughed weakly. "Hm? Oh, I get it, because she wolfs down her food."

"Yes she does eat quickly." Aras looked Mor in the eyes, his gaze intense. "But that is not what I was saying, and I think you know what I mean."

Mor sat in shock, unable to order his thoughts enough to speak, unsure of how to react. Competing responses crashed into each other, leaving a snarled mess of his wits. Eventually, a thought slipped out. "How did you know?"

Aras looked relieved. "Didn't know until now, actually. But suspected." He looked down at his hands for a moment, which Mor noticed were drumming nervously. "She remind me of... well, of my wife. She is also wolf. A werewolf. They have that same intense look about them, the way they look at doors and walls as if they expect them to get out of the way." Aras chuckled. "And yes, the way they eat is very similar too."

Mor sat in silence, trying to process what he had just heard. Aparently glad to be able to speak, Aras continued. "You noticed all the food I took with me home, I know, but never said anything. I am grateful for that. We have four cubs at home. Won't transform for another year at least, thankfully, but already are bundles of energy, and eat like kids twice their size. It's not easy to keep them fed. This job has helped immensely." Mor was dimly surprised at the language he was using; usually Aras was sparse with his words, at best.

The momentary confusion was enough to temporarily stall his competing thoughts, and he martialed his head into something like its usual order. "Why risk telling me this? If I wasn't clued in, I would have thought you were crazy."

Aras looked troubled. "My wife keeps me away from most of the supernatural things, for my safety. I cannot do half of the things she can, and even she understands that strange creatures are not to be taken lightly. But she talks to me, and I can read between the lines. Something is happening, here in the city. Someone is hunting supernatural people, and if they can do that, they are extremely dangerous. Nina needs to know about it, or she might be taken by surprise." Aras eyed Mor." And you have always been sensible, mostly, but you... have a bit of a blind spot with other people. I wanted you to know what you were getting into, if you get wrapped up in this. I think that would have happened eventually."

Mor had the sense to not blurt out everything he and the others were already doing about that exact problem. He also didn't say anything about the complications his own supernatural origins were adding to the mess. Instead, he munched on his salad, as if chewing thoughtfully. "This is a lot to take in, and I need to take some time to process it all. Can we talk about this tomorrow, when you come back in?"

Aras nodded, then returned to his packing. He left while Mor was still eating, and he finished his salad in silence. Once he had eaten, he hurried to his cabin, where he had left his cellphone this morning. There was already a text asking about dryads. He wasn't sure what she was intending, but he didn't see any harm in her at least knowing that there was a ritual that could be used to change the tree a dryad was bonded to, though he left out most of the details, like how painful it was. At the end, he included an important note: "There is a complication with Aras. Need to discus."

 

[BurningWillows]

Nina's phone dinged and she caught Mor's name over a little letter icon.

"He says there is a ritual to changing the trees they are bonded to," Nina paraphrased, "Summing up that they do indeed have trees. He also says there is something about Aras."

"Text, don't call," Derek advised, "I know its paranoid, but if either of you have bugs in your phone, a call can help the dryads find him."

"Who puts bugs in people's phone," Nina grimaced at her cell, "Wouldn't they get squished and die?"

"Text him," Derek sighed, trying not to laugh at her, "Ask him about Aras...and more about the trees."

Is there any other ways they can move their trees? Like make them smaller, or portable? Are there small trees? And since they have trees, do you have one?

Also what's wrong with Aras?​

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor wasn't expecting an immediate response, but he supposed that Nina was still working on the dryad problem. He sent a slightly longer response this time: "It's not actually moving the trees, it's... spiritually and mystically transferring the bond to an entirely different tree. There is no way to make the tree smaller, and trying to cut a branch or the like just causes grievous injury, and the broken off bit is no longer bound to them. Sort of like if they chopped off a finger." Mor debated briefly with himself as to whether he should explain about his bonsai. On the one hand, there was the potential that the dryads could find out about these texts, in which case he would be handing them significant leverage over himself. On the other, his relationship with Nina was still extremely fragile after the last secret he'd kept from her. He needed to show her some trust. Still, there was no reason not be cautious about it. "Yes, there can be smaller trees. Though the classic image is a towering oak or something, any sort of tree will do, so long as it's no longer a sapling. You've seen mine, in fact. Don't want to say more over the phone, can show you later if needed."

Aras knows. He's aware of the supernatural world. In fact, he's married to a werewolf. He recognised you for what you are. I don't think we can just cast him aside; he knows about the serial killer, though not that we're already involved. Not sure how to proceed."

 

[BurningWillows]

"What did he say?" Derek asked as her phone binged again.

Nina read it out loud once more, "Well at least he was honest out why he couldn't tell me."

"What about Aras...the, uh, cook?"

"Yeah Drew's head chief. He's really nice. I don't know why it is a problem though."

"He's unsure if he should still fire him, since he knows about supernaturals."

"But it should be obvious," Nina frowned, "If he knows, than he isn't a safety hazard. He stays."

"Maybe relay that message to him, little wolf," Derek offered, taking their emptied plates into the kitchen, "And thank him for the information on dryads."

Katerina followed his instructions, adding a 'goodnight' to the end of her text. Rising from her chair, she stretched her stiff back and joined Derek in the kitchen.

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor read the text with some consternation. I know he doesn't need to be fired. But what do we do about other people cottoning on to the serial killer and their motives? It seemed to Mor that if Aras was willing to risk outing himself to Mor due to worrying about his safety, he'd also be the sort to be protective of his wife as well. He knew at least a little about what was going on. Enough to try and meddle despite the danger? If Aras went in without knowing everything he could, he'd get himself killed. He didn't have Nina's and Derek's transformations, or Taryn's powers, or Mor's experience. But if they brought him up to speed, he'd be involved, no question. He wouldn't have any other choice; just knowing about this stuff was apparently dangerous.

Mor didn't know what to do, but he knew he couldn't make this decision alone. He resolved to speak with the others first chance he got. In the mean time, he still had to do something about Miss Jones and the groundskeeper. It was getting late though, and there would be time enough in the morning to deal with it. After one last check on his bonsai, he got ready to bed and passed quickly into sleep.

 

[BurningWillows]

His paws hit the dirt in time with hers, keeping a steady pace as they wove through the trees. She pulled forward, letting him give chase. The moon shone brightly through the leaves, guiding their play.

Katerina curved right, her white fur gleaming through the bush. Quickly Derek swerved right too, making his own trail beside hers, his dark fur keeping him hidden. He could see Nina looking back for him, her legs slowing as she realized he was no longer behind her. A quiet bark, playful and light, escaped her lips into the night, waiting for his response. Ears swiveling around, her eyes narrowed when no response came. Crouching, Derek snuck up until he was only a leap away. She chirped again and he pounced, hitting her square in the side and tackling her to the mossy ground below. They wrestled, teeth snapping and legs kicking at each other to get the upper hand. Katerina ended up on top, holding his neck down with her maw. Desperately he turned his body as far as it would go and lashed out, scratching her underbelly and making her yip.

She fell back and he got to his feet, dashing away. Nina followed closely behind, nipping at his back legs when she got near than losing momentum and having to catch up. They broke through the trees nearly side-by-side, the forest ending where the luscious green began, a field of long grass between the trees and Derek's condo.

The made their own maze through the grass, losing themselves in the night. By the time they emerged they had done a complete circle, finding themselves back at the trees. Derek collasped on the ground, huffing the earthy tones under his nose as he caught his breathe. With a huff Katerina slunk off, looking for a nook to Change. On shaky legs Derek stood up, moving in the opposite direction to find where he stored his clothes and to Change there.

"Derek?" Nina's voice echoed through the trees.

"Here!" Derek yelled, pulling his jeans on quickly, and bundling his shirt in his hand.

Even with the small amounts of moonlight shining through the tree canopy, he could still see her pale blonde hair bounding towards him. Golden eyes glowed in the dark, and Derek was fully aware of his naked torso suddenly.

Thank god it's dark out here, he thought sheepishly, pulling his shirt on.

She never entered the clearing, waiting outside the brush for him to meet with her. Once he appeared she fell in line with him, and they started walked quietly back to the condo, the moon guiding their way. As they walked Katerina slipped her hand into his and they continued, the silence between them peaceful.

*​

The next day, Katerina woke up first. She had fallen asleep in his armchair with a light blanket draped over her. Derek was still holed up in his room, fast asleep. She snuck in a shower, pulled her old clothes on and left a written note for him to meet her at her own apartment later in the day. Than she called for a cab, and slowly made her way home.

When she arrived, she was relieved to see her door closed. Instead of using the front door, she actually scaled the building, using a tree to get to the short fire escape that ran from the roof to the second floor. Unfortunately the fire exit door for the second floor could only be opened from the inside, leaving the roof for her to get into. Whoever had built the fire escape had obviously not thought that moving higher up the building wouldn't be beneficial if there was an actual fire. Then again, she mused as she inspected the fire exit closer, There may have been a ladder to the alley once. A break in the railings was wide enough for a ladder to extend down, but nothing was there except deep scratches in the paint.

To her luck there was a door on the roof as well, and it only had a deadbolt. Nina reared back and threw all her weight into her foot, kicking her leg straight at the door and making it buckle. A second kick and the door banged open, wood splintering. The door still shut when she checked, but it wouldn't lock any longer.

Oh well, she had shrugged it off. If fae could get in through the front door, worrying about the roof would be a waste of time.

Inside her apartment, she did a quick sweep, looking for any hidden intruders. With the area cleared, she changed out of her dirty clothes for a pair of clean leather leggings, and a long green sweater-dress with a wide collar that hugged her comfortably. In the bathroom, she tousled her hair but kept it down, and was just outlining her eyes when she heard her front door creak.

Vy, dolzhno byt', shutish'!

It could have been Derek but instinct told her it wasn't. Silently she tip-toed into her shower, pressing her back against the cold tile. She could hear footsteps -three pairs- wandering her apartment, either looking for her or information. Were they really this persistent?

Her breathing stopped when someone entered the bathroom, their musk filling the room. Katerina was getting accustomed to identifying the woodsy musk to the dryads stalking them, since it seemed to be a common trait. The footsteps continued forwards and she placed her hands on either side of her against the tiled wall, ready to rocket off the wall and tackle the trespasser.

Suddenly her phone buzzed on the sink counter, filling the room with noise. Nina tensed, her stomach knotting. The intruder took one step back, checking the phone with a harsh word and then two steps forward, directly in her line of sight.

She launched herself, crashing into him and sending them both into the wall. They crumpled together, fists flying as they tried to gain the upper hand. Someone in the living room was yelling, and soon more bodies filled the room, peeling her off of the first dryad. The man on her left held her shoulder tightly and she reached out and gripped his wrist, twisting it harshly and throwing him back into the shower, away from her. She then turned on the man on her right, who was now struggling to keep her contained. She kicked at his shin, stunning him, and sent her knee into his groin. As he folded over the first dryad jumped to his feet and got an upper cut into her jaw, knocking her back. He did a quick kick to her knee, making her drop, but she swept her good leg under him, watching him fall hard. The second man was out of the shower and on her again -this time his arm wrapped around her neck- and she dug her nails into his skin trying to loosen his grip. He held tightly, cutting the oxygen supply and making her dizzy. The first and third dryad each got their bearings and took a hold of her ankles, crossing them over. She hadn't seen it till now, but one of the men had rope slung over his shoulder, and the other had a handkerchief hanging from his front pocket.

Freaking out, Nina kicked and flailed, using her waning energy to free herself. She caught one dryad in the thigh, sending him cursing but not dropping her foot. They quickly tied her ankles together, immobilizing her legs, and then worked on her arms. She put up a long struggle but the dryads had their own amounts of strength, and three against one in the small bathroom put the odds against her. Still, she got plenty of hits in, and by the time they sat her on the cold floor, tied and gagged, all three were scratched, bruised and bleeding.

She tried to swear but it came out as a muffled, "mmmm" through the gag. She turned to growling, letting the primitive snarl rise in her throat as she narrowed her golden eyes to slits. One of them cast a glance at her nervously but the other two ignored her, moving into the doorway to create space between them and her.

At first she was unsure what they would do next. Were they looking for answers? Were they going to use her as bait?

"C'mon," the third dryad beckoned as he disapeared into her room, "let's get going."

For a second she thought they were just going to leave her tied. Then the third fae reappeared with a long black bag, the perfect height to stuff a person in.

Cherta s dva!

She squirmed, digging her heels into the tiles and inching away. Hands reached for her and she fell on her back, using the momentum to kick out with her legs together and strike the first dryad. He fell hard into the other two, giving her a chance to get farther away. Doing a backwards somersault, she jumped onto her tied feet, precariously keeping her balance.

"Get the fucking wolf!" one of them yelled and all three of them swarmed her. Lowering her shoulder she tackled one down, but lost her balance in the process and ended up on her back beside him. The other two were on her in seconds, one grabbing a handful of hair and wrenching back till tears pricked her eyes. The other gathered her legs in the body bag, being none to gentle.

"Pick her up," he directed, slipping the body bag under her as the fae with his fist in her hair pulled up, picking her up by her blonde curls and making her cry harder. Katerina refused to scream however, or show any signs of defeat. Even with the gag in her mouth she continued to glare at them furiously. They stuffed her unceremoniously into the bag, but before they zipped it up one of them pulled out a needle she hadn't noticed before. Now she screamed, her fears muffled against the gag. She tossed herself as hard as she could in the bag to get free from the fae bending over her with a needle filled with unknown liquid. Thoughts of the asylum filled her mind, of the awful drugs they tested on her. It made her squirm harder.

"She's too stubborn," one of them commented, "Just drug her, so we can go. Her partner will arrive soon."

They meant Derek. Derek was coming. She just needed to slow them down.

The needle pierced her skin in her arm and she felt immediately numbed, her arm slacking. The drug slowly ran through her system, turning off all her nerves until she couldn't feel any part of her body. It felt like she was floating, her own form detached from her thoughts. The feeling didn't go away, and she realized then that she was incapable of moving or uttering a sound. They zipped the bag closed and she lay their like a sack of potatoes, useless and inanimate.

Katerina and her kidnappers were long gone when Derek did arrive. The musky scent at the door was a dead giveaway and he tore up the stairwell, reaching her ajar door in seconds and kicking it open. The smell only grew in here, until it was practically suffocating inside her room and bathroom. Toiletries lay in a mess in her bathroom, the only indication of a struggle. Derek did a sweep of the apartment, then a sweep of the property, and found little other evidence other than the smell.

With a shaking breath, he found Nina's phone and called Drew. Why did they take her?

~~~​

The dryad had been weak; an easy kill. Too easy. Boring, perhaps. He dropped the body in the river, uncaring on who found it. He would be untraceable, dryads had no hold in the human world, living parallel to it, or secluded all together.They would name him a John Doe, and with no evidence the case would go cold.

Not that any of this mattered to him. He wasn't on the list, and therefor served no purpose. His sights were already set on a new target, a pretty werewolf who lived amongst society almost too well. He had almost missed her all together, but her name was on his list.

It was time to go hunting.

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor awoke the next morning feeling refreshed. Knowing that things weren't irreparably ruined with Nina had lifted a surprising amount of stress, and he had managed to sleep soundly. Although the threat of the serial killer loomed over them, he felt less isolated.

He finished his morning coffee and was going to the mess hall to meet up with Aras, when his cell phone rang. Seeing that the call was coming from Nina's phone, he answered it. "Good morning, Drew speaking.

 

[BurningWillows]

The phone picked up on the second ring, "Good morning, Drew speaking."

Any other time, Derek would smile at Drew's formalities, even on his cellphone. But he could barely think through the haze of worry and stress, and did all he could not to snap.

"Drew, its Derek."

The line went quiet. Drew was a smart man. If Derek was calling using her phone, it could only mean she wasn't able to use her phone.

"Where's Nina?"

Question of the day. Drew had kept his voice calm, probably rationalizing that Nina could be in the shower, or on a run, or neck deep in paperwork. Trying to fathom any excuse or reason she'd give her phone up, other than the one staring both of them directly in the face.

"I...I don't know," Derek's voice broke at the last words, his body shaking once violently.

The stress was pushing him to Change. He could feel his muscles spasming under his skin, his whole body vibrating with fear and worry. If he didn't have control, he would have Changed by now.

"Drew, they -the fae- took her. Their scent reeks all over her apartment. There...there was a struggle in the bathroom, and I can track her scent down to the main foyer and out the door, but it stops at the street. They threw her in a van, or car...or something and drove off. They took Katerina. They took her! What do we do?"

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor heard Derek respond, and felt his heart stop. Derek was using Nina's phone. He could hear the barely restrained panic in his voice. Which could only mean...

"Where's Nina?"

There was a chance he was wrong, that he was worrying about nothing. But Derek quickly confirmed his fears. Mor's thoughts went into overdrive. This isn't good. Why would they take Nina? She has to be okay, She has to be okay. Was she a threat to them? Why not just get rid of her? I need to find her! Would they have been unable to do it quietly in the city? That makes no sense, they would have had a harder time bringing her alive then they would just shooting her if that's what they wanted. Oh god, where is she now?

Mor forced himself to calm down. Until now they've been focussed on me. All their efforts have been towards isolating me, so they could have realised that their attempt at breaking us apart didn't work. Abducting her is one way to ensure she's lost to me. But again, why not just kill her? That would be simpler, easier, and impossible to fix. My instinct is to try and find them, and get her back. They've known I would come here; would they have known how I'd react to her being taken? It would make a great deal of sense if they're using her as bait. To take while she was in her home though, that would have required more than one, since she can handle herself in a fight. The chances of something going wrong were high, which means they're getting desperate. It doesn't add up. Dryad's are faeries, they may not always stay focussed in the here-and-now, but they don't go in for sloppy plans that might have the effect they want. Using her as bait only works if I have some way of tracking her down, and the courage to do so, neither of which were guaranteed. Though at this point I am in fact willing to do anything I can to get her back...

Could they have taken her as a hostage instead? Intending to blackmail me into cooperating with them?

Mor glanced around to ensure no one was near enough to listen. "First, I think we should all stay together. If they're getting desperate enough to kidnap us, it's not safe to be alone. Please try to get here as soon as possible. I think it's likely they took her as a hostage. If I'm right, we'll be hearing from them soon. The point of a hostage is to extort ransom."

 

[BurningWillows]

Derek listened to Dr. Mor, agreed and hung up. He pocketed her phone, found her purse and scooped that up too, then left. Nina's computer and notes were in his SUV, since she had left them at his place, so he didn't need to worry about those.

Getting to the refuge was easy enough. He arrived an hour later, having made sure no one followed him. The tougher part was facing Drew and Taryn, both who were waiting for him in Dr. Mor's office, by his instructions. Drew thought it would be safest to talk about everything there, and as Derek descended the stairs, his worry intensified, until he could barely breathe. He pushed open the door without knocking, trying to look calm, even as his heart hammered and his mind raced with worry over Katerina.

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor needed to find Taryn, so he went to the main lodge first. Stepping in, he found Miss Jones already at the main desk. "Good morning, have you seen Taryn, or she still in her room?" He spoke quickly; he was keeping the fear from making him panic, but it still made him feel rushed and he wanted to do everything as fast as he could.

"I think she left for the cafeteria. And sir, I need-"

"Thank you!" Mor ran off before she could finish. Mor found her in the mess hall eating breakfast. Aras was frying something in the kitchen; Mor could hear the sizzling bacon from the door. He quickly walked up to Taryn. "Can't say much now, but when you finish eating, grab whatever you need from your room and come to my office. Will explain there."

Mor quickly rushed back to his office, ignoring Miss Jones' attempt at stopping him. "Please send anyone trying to reach me to the office," he said as he passed.

After he shut himself in the small room, Mor let some of his panic out, shaking and crying a little. He didn't know what to do. The dryad's had taken Nina. They had stolen his closest friend, and she could be in danger even as he worried about it. He felt utterly helpless.

Mor pulled himself together after a few minutes. A little calmer, he sat down behind his desk and booted up his computer, pulling up his notes in case they were relevant. He also unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk. It was mostly empty, save for a small box. Inside was a small handgun, and a few clips of small calibre ammunition. I really hope I don't have to use this, but it's too dangerous for me to assume I won't need some sort of protection. After checking that the safety was on, he loaded the gun and slipped it into his back pocket.

When Taryn arrived, he explained briefly about what Derek had told him, and they settled in to wait for him. When Derek arrived, Mor could see that he was pale and sweaty. He was clearly sick with worry over Nina. Mor indicated he should sit down.

When Derek was seated, Mor explained. "The most likely reason they took Nina is to use her as a hostage or blackmail. This has at least a small silver lining: they can't use her as such if she's dead, so she'll still be alive." It says nothing about her otherwise though. They could be beating her, or torturing her, or- Mor stamped the thought down. "If that's the case, we should be hearing their terms for ransom soon. Until then, we won't know how to proceed."

 

[BurningWillows]

Derek dropped Nina's purse between him and Taryn, giving her a sympathetic look. She looked like she was about to cry too. Taking Katerina had put everyone on edge.

He pulled the laptop from under his arm and handed it to Drew, "This is hers. I don't know her password, but she keeps everything inside. And her notes, although she didn't write anything on them yet."

He handed those to Taryn, who busied herself flipping through them. Than he pulled out her phone, staring at the black screen, his fingers caressing the case it was in. He remember picking it out for her when she had first arrived in Toronto. Her last phone had been taken by that asylum, and she had cracked her second one on the plane over. He'd replaced it for her, and they picked out the case. He flipped it over now, staring at the green case with a painting of a white rabbit. He had joked about the rabbit, saying maybe now she'd keep a closer eye on her phone, since she was such a good hunter. It had made her laugh. Stupid thoughts, he growled internally, Thinking about her won't get her back.

He flipped the phone again, clicking the power button. There was no lock on her phone, and he noticed a small two over her messages icon. The first one was from him, saying he was on his way over. He ignored the knot tightening in his stomach and clicked on the second one, reading it over. Something about it sent warning bells off, and he had to read it a few times before he realized why.

"Drew," Derek breathed, handing the phone over, "Someone texted her from a blocked number."

Поздравляю! Вы выиграли! Пожалуйста, следуйте по этой ссылке для вашего приза: http://plus.google.com/hangouts/_/gxeqysc2tyuan7mcsccxpo2ncya?authuser=0&hl=en-GB​

Drew passed along the phone to Taryn so she could see it.

"What's it say?" Taryn asked, frowning at the phone.

"I've been learning Russian," Derek muttered, trying to ignore the flush on his cheeks at Taryn's raised eyebrow, "It says: Congratulations! You've won! Please follow this link to your prize."

"So its one of those spam messages. I get them all the time," Taryn shrugged, "What's the problem?"

"The link isn't to a some Russian spam page but to Google hangouts, which is Googles version of Facebook or Skype. It includes video calls."

Drew finally caught on and took the phone back, copying the link into his computer. Derek and Taryn moved around behind him, so they could see as well. The browser went dark as the page loaded, then a small green camera icon popped up. The icon disappeared then and the screen filled with light. It took a second for them to adjust their eyes to what they were staring at. The camera was looking into a dark room, too dark to see the walls, or anything else except the flickering light for a light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The bulb was hanging low, casting an odd glow on the ground below it, but nothing else. They could hear a soft sniffling sound, but Derek wasn't sure what it was.

"The room is big enough that the light can't touch the walls," Derek puzzled together, "And its an old building with that light bulb hanging so low. The floor looks concrete, maybe a basement?"

"What is that on the floor?" Taryn asked and they turned their attention to the floor underneath the light.

There was a black bag on the concrete floor, almost blending into the shadows. The bag was opened wide...and empty.

Something whispered through the microphone and Derek struggled to catch it.

"Is it on?" he translated softly, so Drew and Taryn knew what was being said, "Is the camera working?"

"Yes, it is-two people now-Turn it towards her, not the empty bag! C'mon...wait, just give it to me. They are fighting over the camera now."

The video blinked out for a second then came back to few, staring directly at the ground. It blinked out again, and Derek quietly counted to twenty seconds before it came back on this time. Taryn slapped a hand over her mouth and Derek heard the whisper of a moan escape his lips.

The camera was staring directly at a blonde mop of hair bent over a chair. Katerina was tied to a wooden chair near a concrete wall. She was slumped over in her seat, so all they could see was her hair, falling everywhere. There was a light behind the camera, casting everything in a bright glow. Someone appeared in the frame, moving close to her. The camera was set so it cut out their faces, making it impossible to identify them. Derek could only tell that it was an older man.

The man moved till he was behind Katerina. Than he reached out and grabbed a handful of her hair, ripping back so that her whole body fell against the chair. Her eyes popped open, staring wildly into the camera. There was already a black ring forming around one of her eyes, and her lip was split. There was splatters of blood on her clothing, but he couldn't tell if it was hers or someone elses. She tried to pull away from the man's grip but he tugged harder and her eyes rolled before closing.

"They drugged her!" Derek snapped, watching as her eyes opened again, cloudy and unsure.

"An exchange," A man barked into the microphone, his voice crackling through the speakers, "The wolf bitch for Drew Mor."

Derek growled, low and menacing and was surprised when one of the men laughed harshly.

"We can hear you, wolf. Want your mate back? Give us Drew. He doesn't belong with you, he belongs with his kind."

"He belongs with people who drugs up and then beats a girl before tying her to a chair?" Taryn snapped, her whole body shaking in fury, "You people are monsters."

"Monsters?" Taryn hit a nerve with one of them and a second person came into view, kicking Nina's leg softly and jolting her attention, "This is a monster."

Katerina snarled, shaking her head to try and get free of the first man. He wrenched her head back and she growled and snapped her teeth, thrashing in her seat to get free. Derek could see the heavy metal chains holding her down, and clenched his fists harder. She continued to snarl and snap at them, bucking when the second got too close. Her fight was over too soon though, the drug keeping her from fighting from too long.

"This is what a monster looks like," the second man hissed, turning away from Nina, "We have shed no blood. We have tried to do this quietly and calmly. We tried to get her to work with us. We had to resort to other measures when she refused to cooperate."

"You drugged and beat her!" Derek snapped.

"We drugged her for our protection. Her wounds are her own making!"

"She did nothing!" Taryn cried.

"Nothing?" someone choked in the background, and Derek heard the sniffling again.

Someone crying.

"She killed two of our men," the man closest to the camera spoke softly, his voice filled with regret and pain, "She slaughtered them in front of us."

Derek pulled Drew from his seat and wheeled him to the far side of the room before he spoke with so much force his body shook, "Can they lie? Can they at all?"

He knew the answer and Drew only confirmed it. Nina had killed two dyrads.

"Why did she kill them?" Taryn asked, pressing her finger to her lips when Derek whipped around to look at her.

"She got free and they were too close," the man started.

"But why did she kill them? Did they have weapons?"

"No...they had...chains."

"She was trying to protect herself," Derek whispered to Drew, the relief in his voice clear,[/i] and then added louder so the microphone could hear, "Did she say it was an accident?"

Silence.

"Was she remorseful?"

More silence.

"If we don't exchange Drew, what happens to Nina?" Taryn asked.

"We will be there at five for the exchange."

"Be where?"

"Mistik." The camera shut off and the room fell quiet, the silence deafening.

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor didn't trust himself to speak as he brought up the video call. His fear and anger were warring with each other for dominance, and he needed to be calm right now. If they were going to get Nina back in one piece, they all had to be calm.

When the camera focussed on Nina, beaten and drugged, that was out of the question. Mor was filled with a white hot rage at what the dryads had done to her. He started to shake, and his fists clenched hard enough that his nails drew blood from his palms. It was only through tight control that he didn't lash out immediately. They aren't here now. I can't hurt them. Yet.

He only dimly heard the conversation between Derek, Taryn, and the dryads. His focus was on remaining calm, and trying to figure out where they were hiding. Any sort of advantage could help. It was no good though. Sloppy and amateur they might be, there were no identifying features of the room he could see; it could have been any number of warehouses or cellars or basements. In truth though, he was having a hard time looking for such clues. All he could focus on was Nina.

Mor was startled out of his focus by the declaration that Nina had killed two of the dryads. Did she kill them herself? Did she go after them for my sake? Oh no... Derek pulled him away from the chair and out of the view of the camera. Voice shaking, he demanded if it was at all possible that they were lying. Mor knew what he wanted to hear. Derek needed to hear that they were wrong, that Nina hadn't killed them. He didn't want to believe that Nina could be so vicious. But like the dryads, Mor couldn't tell him that, and he confirmed that they were telling the truth.

Rather than letting them stew on that shocking revelation though, the dryads added that it had been after she had been taken, during an escape attempt. This didn't seem to change how Taryn or Derek felt about it, but Mor had a sudden rush of vicious satisfaction. Good. Mor had previously cautioned Nina against violence, but that was largely concern over escalating the situation. As far as he was concerned, the kidnapping had done that already. He normally disliked violence, but somewhere in his mind, his hatred of dryads made them somewhat of an acceptable target. He wouldn't hunt them down or anything, but in self defence? A normally quiet part of Mor cheered for Nina.

The video cut out after the dryads said they'd come to Mistik at Five o'clock for the exchange, which sent Mor's thoughts awhirl. First, it confirmed something for Mor: the dryads were inexperienced with this sort of thing. Otherwise the video would have been better planned, and they would have their own location for the meet up. Doing so would have let them control the environment, putting them in a place where they would be strong and Mor and the others away from any possible support. While it was possible they were holed up in the adjacent woods, it seemed unlikely to Mor that Nina and Derek could have been romping around the forest without finding a trace of them. Further, they would have had a much easier time simply grabbing Mor one night, rather than getting into the city and having to work around the general populace. Mor couldn't exactly speak from a position of personal experience, but it seemed to him that all this was a strong indicator that they didn't have much idea of what they were doing. Inwardly, he chuckled grimly at the thought that if Jess were still alive, she could have at least pointed out a movie or two for examples of how this worked.

The mistakes and impromptu video discussion suggested something else: The dryads were getting desperate. This was by far the most blatant action they'd taken, as well as the most dangerous. Two of them had been killed after all, three if you counted Nina's mystery visitor, and possibly four if Jess' death was related. Though he was not at all upset by it, Mor was puzzled as to why they didn't simply abandon or even kill Nina and be done with it. Everything that he knew about dryads said that they were much like other fey creatures. Aside from direct threats to their territory, trees, or themselves, they should have been cautious and unwilling to put themselves at much risk. To press on in the face of mortal danger suggested that they didn't merely want Mor, they needed him for something. He couldn't think of anything else that would drive them to be so desperate. He also couldn't think of any good reasons that they should need him so badly. Mor stamped on that thought before he could start imagining elaborate rituals involving blood sacrifice or some such, as that was both unlikely and unhelpful to think about.

Mor briefly entertained the idea of simply leaving Nina to her fate if it meant denying the dryads, but he quickly dismissed it. He would never abandon anyone, least of all Nina, to their devices. Leaving Nina in their hands: Unacceptable. Going with them: Also unacceptable. Mor glanced at the clock on his computer, revealing they had about four hours before the exchange was to take place. Solution: Find a way to drive them off after they bring Nina to us. What can we do in four hours to get ready?

The thought had him shaking again as he felt a violent rage grow again. Not trusting himself to speak yet, he waited for the others to react.

 

[BurningWillows]

Taryn fell into the corner of the room, felling her body shaking so violently, her emotions swirling. Her throat was dry, her stomach knotted. Her eyes kept flashing between Derek and Drew, waiting for one of them to speak, to come up with a plan.

And what plan do you have?

She looked at Drew, and when his face tilted up she saw exactly what she felt: fear. Fear for them, and for Nina.

A familiar electric feeling ran through her spin and Taryn tensed. She hadn't turned to smoke in at least a week, and her body seemed to work against her, wanting to disappear.

With a whispered excuse to be back, Taryn dashed from the room. She booked up the flights of stairs, and to her room, locking the door before her body burst. It was a violent change, her body solid one second and exploding into smoke the next. Pain rippled through her conciousness but she ignored it, letting herself expand and float around the room, loosing herself to the numb escape.

Derek watched Taryn run out and momentarily wished he could do the same. But Katerina needed them, and if Drew and him couldn't come up with a plan they could loose more than Nina.

You won't loose Nina! Just think!

"We need a plan," Derek's voice came out hoarse, "Drew we only have four hours to come up with something. We need...we need to clear Mistik out. There's too many witnesses. And...and we need to prepare...and and...."

And what? We have nothing to go on here. They are as much part of nature as I am. What the fuck do we do?

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor thought about stopping Taryn, but he knew that the girl was used to dealing with feeling overwhelmed alone. He trusted she'd follow through on her word and be back before long. His rational side was reasserting itself, now that he'd had a chance to cool down.

Mor grabbed hold of Derek's shoulders and gave him a bit of a shake to stop him babbling. "You're right, we do need a plan. And we'll think of one. But you're right. This could get ugly, and we need to get the other people away." Actually, them being here might give a degree of safety if the dryads care at all about remaining circumspect. But that's too big of a gamble. "I can handle my employees, but I'll need you to give a reason for the guests and visitors to leave. I think a wolf prowling the trail would give me a good excuse to send people home." Mor hoped giving Derek a concrete part to play might help him focus and work through his panic. Drew didn't have all the answers, and a panicking Derek did neither of them any good.

 

[BurningWillows]

Derek nodded, agreeing he could go and be accidentally spotted by a few guests.

"We can meet in the cafeteria when the refuge is clear? I'll collect Taryn while you deal with getting people out."

Drew nodded and Derek took his leave. He tried to remain calm as he ambled his way to the trail outside, only ducking into the brush when he was no longer in sight of the refuge. Then he let his fear back in, letting it force his Change, as he jogged deeper into the forest. Sweat prickled his brow as his body started to respond, and he stumbled and fell into the dirt, crouching on all fours.

The Change came slowly, his body still exhausted from the night before. Fear and anxiety pushed it along, but at such a slow pace that he started to worry he'd get stuck mid-Change. Finally as the last of his bones set in, his sniffed in the earthy tones of dirt and moss, and he blinked back the sunlight, adjusting to his wolf form.

Now to be seen, Derek decided to lope back towards the refuge, looking like a distracted wolf who got lost. As he got closer her bent his head down and began sniffing, zig-zagging left and right to make as much noise in the brush as possible. When he stepped out of the trees into the field he picked his head up high, stilling his body and looked around slowly. He acted as best he could, going for confused wolf, and hoped someone was looking.

Sure enough in seconds he heard the faint whispers to his right and could see as he swivelled his head that their were two visitors watching and waving at him, cameras at the ready.

Of course...don't fear the wolf. Take pictures.

Derek took a step closer to them, sniffing the air, then another step. Their voices picked up an octave, and nervousness crept into their whispers. He took another step, and another, pausing in between to sniff high or low. A curious wolf.

He went to take another step and something crackled behind him, on his left flank. Instinct kicked in and he turned and snapped at the air, his ears flattening. A growl escaped and he lowered himself in front of a man who had his arm outstretched towards him. Fear permenated the air, and the man took his hand back as Derek let out another growl.

You wanted to pet the wolf?! You idiot!

He snapped again, his teeth clicking as he bit the air near the man and made him yelp. He smelt like weed and lack of hygiene, filling Derek's noise and making him shake his muzzle violently, trying to get the assaulting scent out.

The hippie took Derek's confusion as his chance to back away quickly, and like the idiot he was, turned his back and ran. Second mistake. If Derek was a true wolf, he would have seen the chase and tore after him.

And this is why wolves have a bad reputation. You bring it on yourself!

Nevetheless Drew's plan was working. Derek looked over his shoulder to see the two women also fleeing into the refuge, and Derek slunk back into the trees to find his clothes and Change back.

 

[BurningWillows]

Katerina woke stiff and as she tried to roll over realized she couldn't budge. The rough feel of rope against her wrists reminded her of what happened. Her eyes flashed open, but all she saw was darkness.

“She’s waking. Open the bag,” the muffled voices near hear caught her ears, “Careful though!”

The sound of a zipper and the bright flash of sudden light shocked her momentarily. Two pairs of hand gripped either side of her and lifted her up, dragging her feet across the harsh ground as they dragged her to some unknown location. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust, and she caught sight of the concrete they were dragging her along. Lifting her head she saw concrete blocks laying around, and half-finished walls with beams protruding. A warehouse? Construction area?

“Put her there,” someone ordered and they unceremoniously dropped her in a chair in front of a camera aimed at her. The camera stood on a tripod, and behind that was a small fold-up desk with a laptop connected to the camera. Beside the table was a bright lamp aimed directly at her, searing her retinas and making it impossible to see anyone around her. Smart dryads,she thought bitterly.

“So…why’m I her?” she asked, her tongue still fuzzy from the drugs making her accent slur.

“Check her bindings,” someone barked, ignoring her question.

They were careful, as two men came near her, but remained out of her sight line, checking the ropes tying her legs and wrists. If she was at full strength, Nina could break the ropes with ease. But whatever drug they gave her to knock her out made her muscles weak. Drew would know more about the drug, but Nina’s best guess was it wasn't an over-the-counter medicine, but probably closer to stolen drugs from a hospital.

“Kidnapping me won’t help you!” Nina tried again, her slur leaving as she gained strength in her voice.

“Shut up Russian wolf,” someone snapped, sounding irritable.

“No!” Nina snapped back at the unseen dryads, “YA mogu pereklyuchit'sya na russkiy , yesli vam nravitsya.”

“Zmeneniye yazyki ne menyayetsya spros. Zakroy svoy rot volka,” a woman’s voice snapped back in perfect Russian.

Katerina did as they said and closed her mouth, settling into her seat and acting as they wanted her to: docile and patient. As she did she began plotting a way out, looking and listening for any exits.

*​

One would think if you wanted to ask for a ransom, you’d do it quicker than leaving me in this chair for half an hour, Nina mused as she quietly broke the ropes tying her wrist together.

Wouldn’t it make more sense not to wait for the werewolf to gain her full strength back? Nina continued her internal rant as she snapped the ropes binding her ankles and bounced up, stretching quickly.

Terrible planning, she paused as chaos erupted around her, people realizing their bargaining chip was on her feet and moving, I bet they even have an easy exit.

As she moved away from her lamp, the rest of the room came into view. They were in a dark unfinished basement, the concrete broken in places to show patches of dirt. The walls weren't as unfinished as she had previously thought, the beams and some drywall already installed, and the rest was tarped or filled in with more concrete. Sure enough, at the far end of the basement was a door with a bright red EXIT sign hanging overhead. Nina almost laughed at their idiocy, except for the fact that they were quickly blocking her way.

She growled, low and menacing and a few started, giving her a chance to dash past them. Others ignored her warning snarls and she barreled into them, or shoved them on her way past. She was half way across the room when someone tackled her, throwing them both down. Nina kneed her assailant, hearing a satisfying grunt as they rolled off. But before she could get to her feet the dryad caught her leg and wrenched, pulling her closer. Then a fist came down and caught her stomach, knocking the wind for Nina’s lungs. As she gasped for air the dryad hit her again, making her groan. She kicked out and caught her toe on the fae’s side, digging it in as hard as she could. There was a gasp and they fell on her, letting her send her elbow into their chest. Now they were both winded, giving Nina the chance to take a breath. A quick glance around showed her she had seconds before another three dyrads would be on top of her.

Desperation struck and she pulled the fae lying beside her into her arms, wrapping one around her neck and squeezing.

“Stop! Ili ... ili ... ili ona umirayet!” Nina threatened, fear making her forget to speak English as she glanced down at the female dryad in her arms and back up at the oncoming group.

A few fae paused but others kept forward, and Nina dug her heels into the ground and pushed away, dragging herself and the dryad in her arms with her. Her back hit the wall and sudden realization that she was trapped dawned on her. They were still coming at her, so bent on getting her they weren’t listening to her words.

Fear was driving them all, and Katerina just wanted out. She growled, as loud as she could muster, pulling her lips back and flashing her teeth but they ignored her. Just run! she thought, releasing the dryad and kicking away, then stumbling to her feet and running. Her feet stomped on the ground, the exit door looming closer. Five feet…four…three…she reach for the door but it was already opening…shit…two feet...stop running!

Nina barreled into a young man walking through the door and they fell in a heap. A knife flashed and instinct kicked in, her left hand going for his wrist holding the knife and snapping it while her right hand went for his throat.

“Pozvol'te mne uyti!” she snarled, his strangled cries for his wrist dying as she pressed against his wind pipe.

“Get her off him! That’s my son!” someone screamed and shocked her systems.

Releasing his throat, she jumped up, but her foot caught his head and there was a bone crunching sound that made her entire being freeze.

No…



It took six of them to handle her kicking and screaming as they dragged her back to the chair, and another three to tie her legs with chains, and then her arms. Finally someone threw a bag over her head, so she couldn’t see the hits coming. She took them though, letting whoever it was take their pain out on her. She could hear the sobs throughout the room, the hushed condolences and grieving words.

She had killed the man. Her kick had snapped his neck in her haste. If that wasn’t bad enough, they were saying she had killed the other too, the woman she held. The dryad wailing on her kept yelling that they were dead. Had she held on too long? Did she suffocate a person? Tears sprang in her eyes and she bit her tongue hard enough to taste blood, ashamed of herself.

*​

She woke with a start, surprised she had blacked out. Her body felt like shit, and she knew she had been the dryad punching bag since her escape attempt. At least one of the fae was pissed at her, and had kept hitting her till she passed out, and even then he could have continued. No one had stopped him. Why? Because she knew some of them agreed with it.

Dryads were supposed to be nonviolent, or so Nina thought. But she had the bruises covering her body to prove it, and something told her she might not be dealing with full dryads. The man who had been hitting her showed quite a lot of emotion, something Drew had mentioned they lacked mostly.

Someone was talking and there was a fist in her hair, holding her head up for the camera. She blinked in the bright light, her eyes rolling as her retinas burned and she shut them for a few seconds.

She could hear Derek's voice meekly and Drew's...and then Taryn's. Her ears were still ringing from the throws though, blocking out most of the conversation. What she could hear told her the dryads wanted an exchange: a life for a life.

She could hear the dryads voices more clearly, and when they got to the part about her kills, she grimaced. But then something surprised her: they lied. Well one lied.

He said she slaughtered them. That they had chains, when she knew they held none.

Was that a lie? If he felt like it was a slaughter, did it make it truthful for him? Her eyes fluttered open and she concentrated on the single dryad, listening to his voice. Was it the same fae that had beaten her? It sure sounded like it. Definitely not a dryad then, she thought, Half dryad? Something else entirely?

The ransom call ended and the silence filling the basement echoed inside her. If he could lie to them and beat her, what else was he...were they all capable of?

 

[Georgie_Leech]

Mor watched Derek Leave, then paused a moment to collect his thoughts. He hoped to use the time before Derek was spotted to come up with a more concrete plan of action. He wasn't having much success though; in his minds eye he kept replaying the video call, and anger blotted out rational thought.

Shaking his head, he went upstairs, trusting Taryn to return when she was ready. Miss Jones was waiting for him. "Sir, I really need to talk to you about something." Mor paused, realising he had been completely ignoring her in his haste. Perhaps he could deal with her issue for a moment, get his mind off of... other things. He supressed a flash of anger. Even dancing around the subject made him furious.

"What is it, Miss Jones?" She took a deep breath and explained that she was giving her two weeks notice, as she was was going back to class soon, and that if possible, her family wanted to bring her on a family vacation. Apparently they were planning on leaving tomorrow. Mor half listened to her apologies about the late notice, since it worked out in his favour anyway. She would have needed to be let go anyway, since she's not clued in about the supernatural. Plus, this will also get her out of harms way. Dryads aside, there is still the serial killer to worry about.

Mor interrupted her hasty explanations and justifications. "That will be fine, Miss Jones. We knew when you came here that you would be leaving before too long, and we'll manage just fine without you." He attempted to put a warm smile on his face as he continued. "I know how important family can be, so don't worry about the vacation time. As far as I'm concerned, you've earned it. If you like, you could leave early for the day so you can pack for the trip." Miss Jones was shocked at how well this was going for her, and stammered her thanks. As she packed up to leave, Mor reminded her that if she ever needed a reference for other work, he would be happy to help.

Seeing her out the door, Mor found that helping Miss Jones calm down and being able to provide at least some assistance had calmed him down somewhat. While the thought of the dryad's was enough to bring up anger, he was better able to control it, and it no longer wiped out rational thought.

Unfortunately, this didn't seem to help his planning much. He had never thought about any of this before. He'd never worked out how to negotiate hostage exchanges, or what to do if the dryad's came from him. Before now, he'd have laughed at the suggestion something like this would have ever come up. Even if he had had experience with this sort of thing, the pressure was not helping. Faced with the possibility of losing Nina forever, Mor couldn't come up with any good plans.

He felt the gun in his back pocket; small calibre, it was meant as a last resort, more of a deterrent to a mugger than a serious weapon. Mor had some basic training, enough to have proper respect for the weapon, to know to never point at something he wasn't prepared to fire at, and to be aware of what he could hit if he missed or on the off chance the bullet continued through his target. He was no marksman though, and he seriously doubted his ability to hit a target more than twenty or so feet away. Besides, there were sure to be many dryads, and if it came down to violence, numbers would mean more than his paltry skill. Worse, if he tried to shoot Nina free, they'd probably just scatter and take her with them, probably execute her too. Firing on the dryads was out of the question.

Mor still hadn't had any good ideas by the time panicked patrons started filtering back in to the main lodge. He reflected briefly that it was a good thing that there weren't too many supernaturals that came to Mistik yet. It would be harder to fool people that could recognise a werewolf. Though there were almost certainly at least a few of them around today, they wouldn't be able to assume it was werewolf if ordinary people came running from the woods.

Mor called everyone to the mess hall, where he informed them that a wolf had been spotted on the trail again, and that for everyone's safety, they should return to the city. He assured them that he had contacted the proper authorities. Which is no one; there aren't proper authorities for a werewolf trying to Scooby-doo a nature retreat clear of people. He told them that he would contact them when it was safe to return, and that he hoped they wouldn't let this damage their view of his refuge.

Aras, though, remained skeptical. When everyone else had left, he turned Mor, eyebrow raised. "Boss?" He had probably realised that wolves wouldn't just wander around people, and that it was likely a werewolf. Probably thought it was Nina again. Mor shook his head. "It'd be best if you left for the day, Aras. Things might get a little dangerous before long, and this isn't something that involves you. Your wife would kill me if I let you get dragged into this."

Aras looked critically at Mor for a moment before nodding and going to pack up. Mor let out a breath he'd been holding. He'd been worried that the stubborn chef would insist he stay to help.

Now that everyone was out of the way, Mor grabbed his bonsai from his cabin. As it was the tree he was bound too, if the dryads got their hands on it, he would be forced to go along with them. He wasn't sure what they could do, but he knew that anything would be useless if that happened. His office was the best place he could put it; at least it would be out of the way if that became an issue.

Having done what he could, Mor returned to the mess hall to wait for Derek and Taryn. He hoped they'd had better luck planning than he had.