"What the hell did you say to him?" Matthew asked me as Randal's body was removed from the fighting pit and placed into a body bag.
I didn't ask why a pack of wolves would keep body bags around; I was almost certain it was an answer I didn't want to hear.
"I told him that his days of bullying people and doing what he liked were over. That if he really wanted a chance, he'd have to earn it."
Matthew sighed and rubbed his eyes. "We need to prepare to go to Elijah's. We leave in ten minutes." He turned to Gordon. "I want a full security team ready to go."
Gordon removed his phone from his trouser pocket, before walking off to get some privacy.
Matthew glanced back at the blood where Randal had once lain. "What a fucking waste."
"I didn't think he would kill himself," I said.
"No matter. It saves me the trouble of arranging him a lengthy prison stay. No one but that piece of shit Elijah is going to get upset over his death. And even then it'll only be because it's causing him problems." Matthew followed Gordon, and they were soon in deep conversation.
"What's the plan?" Olivia asked.
"We go to Elijah's and ask him where the lich is."
"And if he doesn't co-operate?"
"We ask him less nicely," Sky said with a slight grin.
The following ten minutes saw an explosion of activity as people all around us got ready for what, I was sure, was not going to be an easy task. I hoped the guards at Elijah's house were smart enough to value their paychecks less than they did their lives. Otherwise it was going to get very bloody, very quickly.
It was a thought that sat with me the entire way to Elijah's house, which was in an exclusive area of Winchester. No one lived within a mile of him, which certainly eased any fears of a fight getting out of hand, but I needn't have worried in any case. One quick word to the guards from Matthew, and the gates opened, allowing our three car convoy and myself on my bike, into the compound.
Elijah's house wouldn't have looked out of place as a royal holiday home. It was massive, and certainly gave credibility to the idea that he considered himself very much above the level his life had selected for him.
The two SUVs belonging to Matthew's men and Olivia's own 4X4 stopped outside the ornate front entrance, a huge wooden door with what appeared to be gold leaf inscribed in it. It sat under an arch that wouldn't have looked out of place in ancient Rome.
I stopped the bike and got off as one of Elijah's men made his way toward Matthew, who was exiting the front vehicle, flanked by several very large werewolves in human form.
"Does Mister Bennett know you're coming," he asked Matthew, stopping the alpha's progress by placing his hand in his way.
"Move," Matthew demanded.
"I'm sorry, but without an appointment, you cannot come into this house."
Matthew's fist moved so fast that it was almost a blur. The guard fell to the floor, holding his stomach and trying to get air back into his lungs.
Matthew ignored the prone guard and opened the front door, stepping into the house. Gordon, Sky and Olivia followed soon after, but something stopped me from joining them. Instead, I spoke to at the guard. "Which room is Elijah's?"
The guard pointed behind him, into the house. "Top of the stairs," he said between haggard breaths. "Turn left, it's the third door down the hallway."
I thanked him and left him to his pain, as I ignored the front door and made my way round to the side of the house and glanced up at the top level windows.
A few minutes use of air magic and I'd climbed up the side of the house, using old bricks and windowsills as handholds, until I reached the window I'd been looking at from the ground.
I placed my palm against the cold glass and used more air magic to blast the pane into the room. I'd caught the shards in a bubble of air, which made the noise of breaking the glass much less noticeable.
The room was lavishly furnished, with a large four-poster bed and an expensive collection of artwork adorning the walls. I crept through the room and opened the door to the sounds of Matthew shouting at someone downstairs.
I exited the room and walked down the brightly lit hallway and knocked on the door that the guard had said led to Elijah's room. "Is the coast clear? I don't want to have to deal with that asshole Matthew."
"All done," I said, hoping it sounded at least something like one of his employees. Although, I doubted Elijah even knew their names and faces, let alone what they sounded like.
"Thank fuck for…" he opened the door and I punched him in the nose with a fist wrapped in air. It was akin to being punched with a sledgehammer.
Elijah stumbled back onto the ground, holding his nose, as I stepped into the room and walked toward my prey while he spat blood onto the floor. He got back to his feet and took a swing, which I dodged and struck him in the kidney. He dropped back to one knee, placing a hand against a bedpost to steady himself.
When he next looked up at me, Elijah's eyes had changed into wolf yellow, but that soon stopped as I slipped a sorcerer's band over Elijah's wrist and snapped it shut with a click that held even promise of the horror that would follow
"Do you recognise it?" I asked, as Elijah's eyes went wide with terror. "It's the one they used on Neil, right before they tore his arms off." Olivia had gotten one of her agents to bring it to Matthew's pack before we'd left to Elijah's.
A sly smile settled on Elijah's face. "You're not going to kill me, you need me."
"I know," I told him. "That's why we're going to have a nice long talk. But first-” I grabbed Elijah by the scruff of his shirt and dragged him to his feet. The sorcerer's band still afforded him his strength, but he knew that if he fought he wasn't going to win. Even if he'd defeated me, Matthew would destroy him.
I marched him from the room and out into the hallway as Matthew reached the top of the stairs. "I thought this would be easier," I said and pushed Elijah toward his alpha.
"Hello, Elijah," Matthew said in a friendly tone. "We're going to have a nice long chat about what happens to those who cross me." And then he threw Elijah over the banister and down the stairs.