Azure (The Silver Series Book 5) (11 page)

“
You're never careful,” she
replied with a smile that melted onto my lips.

The taste of her kiss sent such a strong
surge of need and want through me that I could barely breathe. I
kissed her back and felt the need echoed through her touch. Her
hand drifted from my jaw to my chest and felt so hot against my
bare skin I imagined that it left a red outline. I didn't care if
such a mark lasted a lifetime.

My cell phone rang and jolted us back to
reality. Our lips separated and we stared at each other, amazed at
what had happened, at the gulf that had been crossed. The fact that
she was a Hunter mattered little to me anymore. I saw the same
realization in her eyes and the bashful way she lowered them to her
hand on my chest.

She pulled it back and I longed for her
touch again. The phone gave another insistent ring. “You better
take it,” Nora said quietly.

I didn’t want to. I had never wanted to
ignore the phone more. Nora picked it up and handed it to me,
expectancy and a touch of humor in her gaze. I shook my head. She
laughed and flipped it open. I sighed and was about to hit the
speaker phone button by habit, but remembered Mom's previous
opinions regarding Nora and lifted it to my ear.

“
Hello?”

“
I'm calling to apologize
for our conversation the other day,” Mom said in a voice that
sounded resigned and apologetic at the same time.

I smiled because she sounded the same way
about every other time she called, usually because we both ended up
saying things we weren't proud of. “I'm sorry, too. I have a knack
for pushing your buttons.”

“
You do,” she agreed
without admitting that she was at fault for the conversation as
well.

I took a shallow breath against a surge of
pain through my side. “I'm kicking Ben and Brian out of Two
today.”

“
What? Why?” Mom
demanded.

“
They attacked me when we
were out running. They're trying for leadership of Two.”

I could almost hear Mom's teeth grinding
through the phone and knew neither werewolf wanted to see the look
she had on her face. “I'm going to call their mothers,” she
said.

I fought back a laugh. “They're not kids,
Mom. They're eighteen. It's time for them to leave anyway.”

“
Yes, but after all we've
done for them, given them a safe place away from killers. . .
.”

She paused and I knew the topic turned her
thoughts to Nora. I spoke before she could. “I'm taking care of it,
so don't worry. I'll let you know how it goes.”

I was about to hang up the phone when she
said with more concern than I could remember hearing from her, “Are
you okay? Did they hurt you?”

I hesitated, then brought the phone back up.
“I'm alright. Nothing a night's rest won't heal.”

“
Traer told me your side is
still giving you problems,” she said.

A grim smile touched my lips. “He worries
too much.”

“
You don't worry enough,”
she replied.

I rolled my eyes at the same words Traer had
said before the run. “Maybe so, but it's working out. Let their
parents know they might be seeing more of their sons soon.”

“
Good riddance,” Mom said
the words I felt.

I hung up the phone and Nora leaned against
my shoulder. “You're a good son.”

I shook my head. “Not really, but we both
gave up pretending long ago. I think we understand each other
better this way.”

She sat in silence for a few minutes, then
sighed.

“
What?” I asked even though
my stomach twisted at the direction I guessed her thoughts had
taken.

“
I miss my dad,” she said,
confirming my guess. “He worries, too.”

After my conversation with Mom I didn't feel
that I could rightfully deny her unspoken request. I held out the
phone and her eyes lit up. “Really?”

I nodded. “Just remember how many lives are
in your hands.”

She sobered a bit, but dialed the number
with a smile of anticipation. The phone rang twice, then a deep
voice answered.

“
Hello?”

“
Daddy?”

“
Noralie? Is that you?”
Sharp relief colored his voice. “Are you okay?”

“
I'm fine, Dad, and I'm
safe.”

“
When the others didn't
come back, we assumed the worst. We’ve been searching night and
day, but it’s like you vanished off the face of the Earth. Is
everyone alright?”

The sadness in her voice broke my heart.
“They're all dead.”

His voice tightened. “What happened? Where
are you? I'm coming to get you.”

Nora's eyes flicked to mine. “That's not
possible.” She rushed on before he could argue, “We happened upon a
werewolf hideout and Jerome thought we could take them. Everyone
was killed and they were going to kill me, too, but one of the
werewolves saved my life. He's keeping me safe.”

“
You're being held
captive?” The anger that laced his voice sent a surge of adrenaline
through my body. I rubbed my knuckles together and tried to stay
calm. “Do you know where you're at? I’ll find you and have them all
destroyed. You'll be safe.”

“
Dad. Dad!” It took a
minute for him to calm down.

Tears glistened in Nora's eyes at the fear
in his voice. The longing that shone in them was unmistakable, and
I knew I couldn't keep her at Two any longer. “I'll take you to
him,” I whispered. A pain close to that in my side ran through my
heart at the thought of letting her go.

Her eyes widened and the tears that had
sparkled in them fell down her cheeks. “Really?”

“
You want to go home. I
won't make you stay.”

I forced a smile at the way her eyes
brightened and she told her dad, “Vance says he'll take me to you.
I can come home!”

He fell silent for a minute and when he
cleared his throat, I realized he had also been crying. I hated
myself for the pain I had put them through, and felt equal pain for
the families of all the Hunters that lay dead in White Horse
Canyon. When her father spoke again, his voice was slightly
unsteady. “Where can I meet you?”

She looked at me, her eyes searching mine. I
thought quickly. “Four Corners,” I said. It was hours away and
would throw him off if he tried to search for us. “We can meet him
at sunrise.”

“
Sunrise at Four Corners,”
she repeated with such enthusiasm my heart ached. She met my gaze
and her smile faltered. “But Dad, I want your word that Vance won't
be hurt and he'll be allowed to go back home without anyone
following him.”

I frowned, but she waited for her father to
reply. He took a breath. “He'll be protected; you have my
word.”

“
Dad,” Nora said with a
sudden sternness that said she knew her father well. “He saved my
life and I want to make sure he isn't hurt. If he'll be in danger,
I won't come.”

I pictured him making a face like my mom
when I argued. He replied in a tight, controlled voice, “He'll be
safe. I promise.”

I didn't believe him, but Nora smiled.
“Thank you, Daddy. I'll see you tomorrow morning.”

“
I'll be there,” he
vowed.

She hung up the phone, then threw her arms
around me with such vigor my breath caught at the pain. “Thank you
so much,” she said. “I can't describe how much it means to me to
see him again.” She realized what she was doing and dropped her
arms. The blush touched her cheeks again. “Sorry. I forgot.”

I gave a weak smile. “It's alright.” I
studied the red rock wall across from us. “So. Tomorrow, huh?” I
said after a minute.

She smiled. “Yes, tomorrow.” She gave me a
warm smile. “Thank you very much, Vance. I don't know how to repay
you.”

My eyebrows rose. “Maybe by not letting your
dad kill me?”

She laughed. “It'll be okay, don't
worry.”

But I wasn't so sure.

“
Come on tough guy,” Nora
said, rising from the couch. She held out a hand. “Let’s get you
cleaned up.”

I grunted with the pain of standing. Nora
slipped under my arm and helped me limp to the bathroom. I stood in
the shower, then jerked back as water hit me. I had expected Nora
to go, but she stood behind me with a white washrag in one hand.
“Don’t worry,” she said with a teasing gleam in her eyes. “I’m just
going to help you wash off the worst of it.

The blanket around my waist hung soaked and
tattered, but I kept a tight hold on it. Somehow, being in the
shower with Nora at my back made me feel more vulnerable than I had
ever been in my entire life. She waited a minute, then the soft
fibers of the rag worked slowly over the tear in my shoulder from
Brian’s teeth. The water that pooled around my feet turned red
before rushing down the drain. My legs felt suddenly weak. I leaned
my forehead against the cool tile of the shower wall and closed my
eyes.

Nora stopped. “Are you alright?”

I nodded, but couldn’t find the words to
speak.

“
Want to sit down?” Nora
asked.

I backed up and she helped me slide down to
sit so the water hit my chest. I hated that I was so vulnerable and
weak in front of her that I needed her assistance to sit down. She
could kill me with a single shot, regardless of how bad her aim had
been the last time. Yet she tended to me. The thought curled around
my heart and confused my thoughts. I ducked my head on my knees,
careful to keep the blanket in place. Nora knelt beside me, and
after a minute she continued washing my shoulder.

“
Sorry,” I said quietly. “I
just got dizzy.”

“
You’ve lost a lot of
blood,” she replied. “Are you sure you don’t want Traer to look at
these?”

I nodded and sat back. She moved to wash my
face without care for how the water drenched her clothes and hair.
Her sunflower and vanilla scent held the cinnamon and sage smell of
the red rocks. It suited her, but I refrained from saying it.

I closed my eyes as she worked on the gash
and fought back a smile when she muttered something about me not
taking good enough care of myself. “As I recall,” I said quietly.
“I found you in here not too long ago.”

I opened my eyes to find her watching me, a
slight smile on her face. “That was different.”

Her searching look made me feel bare,
exposed in ways I couldn’t hide. I studied the blood that pooled
from the fang marks around my ankle. I forgot that it had been
bitten. The blood trickled down my skin and touched the water with
red before it swirled away and was washed out, forgotten. I felt
much the same way before Nora came along. Now, her presence was too
near and too real. I gave her everything without thought of how it
would work out. Now she was leaving.

“
I can take care of the
rest,” I said quietly without meeting her eyes.

“
Are you sure?” she
asked.

When I didn’t answer, she rose and stepped
out of the shower. She hesitated in the bathroom, then the door
closed. A growl escaped my lips and I hit the floor of the shower
hard enough to shatter a tile. I stared at the remains of yet
another mess I had created. Water pooled around the dent and I
imagined it seeping down into the sand below Two, giving life to
something in need.

I rose and steadied myself with a hand
against the shower wall when my knees threatened to buckle. I let
the water run through my hair as I wondered what I had gotten
myself into. Werewolves mated for life, but the girl who had stolen
my heart was human. She wouldn’t feel the same pain at leaving me.
I tried to convince myself that she cared, but the fact remained
that she would be gone come morning, and Two would be an empty
shell without her presence to fill it.

Chapter 10

Later that night, my lips curled back at the
smell of Brian and Ben returning from their run. Adrenaline fueled
by rage coursed through my body. I checked to make sure Nora was
asleep, then stalked down the hallway to the main living area. I
paused in the doorway to see Brian, Ben, Drake, and Max laughing
together while Ben related a story to the others.

Ben's hand was raised mid-gesture when my
scent finally registered. He froze and turned. I wondered how well
he would do on his own, then realized I didn't care anymore. I had
given them too much for them to turn around and attack me. It
showed cowardice by both brothers, something I would never
tolerate.

“
Get out,” I
growled.

Brian and Drake turned while Max jumped up
from his chair so fast it fell over. Brian looked like he wanted to
protest, but Two was mine and I wasn't about to be contradicted. I
spoke in a low growl, “Get out, or I'll tear you to shreds and send
you home in a box. It's your choice.”

“
Is that any way to talk to
a friend?” Ben asked, his face white but his eyes holding mine with
an Alpha challenge.

“
I would never talk to a
friend like that,” I said in a dangerous tone.

Brian bared his teeth in a humorless smile.
“It's not our fault you weren't up for a run.”

The fire that ran through my limbs chased
away any pain. “You want to act like animals, I'll treat you like
them.” I phased so quickly they didn't have time to react. A loud
rumble tore from my throat to echo through the red walled tunnels.
I could hear other werewolves coming to see what was going on, but
all I cared about was that Two was my sanctuary to protect, and the
Lopez brothers had dirtied it long enough with their trouble and
unrest. I was tired of being patient, of sheltering those who
didn't care how good they had it, and of watching my back knowing
that someday they would attack. I snarled and both Alphas backed
up.