Azure (The Silver Series Book 5) (20 page)

A hand shot out and wrapped around Nora's
neck. A gun was pressed tightly to her head. My breath caught in my
throat when Rob appeared triumphantly behind her. The sight of his
face sent a surge of rage so strong through my body that all I
could think of was ending his life to stop the torture. I aimed my
gun at the bit of his face that I could see. I took a steady
breath, then blinked and saw Nora’s wide eyes just to the right of
my target. Her face grew pale with terror as the gun pressed harder
into her temple. I lowered my weapon.

“
Well, well, if it isn't
the vanishing werewolf,” Rob said. His hand tightened around Nora's
neck. “Along with my errant daughter.”

“
Let her go, Rob,” I
growled. My heart pounded in my chest. The gun shook in my grip and
I couldn't trust my aim.

“
After I just found her
again?” he replied. He backed up, dragging her with him.

Nora's eyes held mine, begging me to free
her. I looked around, but couldn't see a way to flank him in the
tight quarters between the desks. Both sets of werewolves were
being held back by shots fired from the far end of the room. Rob
pulled Nora back with him toward his guards. A dark mahogany desk
took up the entire length of one wall with filing cabinets on
either side. The guards ducked behind it when Jaze’s team returned
fire.

“
You don't deserve her,” I
growled.

Rob’s eyebrows lifted and a mocking smile
showed at the corners of his mouth. “And you do?” He pulled her
around the dark desk. I took a step to follow them, but he motioned
me away with the gun. Several bullets whizzed past and I ducked
back behind the filing cabinet. “Stay over there, and she won't get
hurt,” Rob said. The honesty of his words sent a chill through my
body. He would hurt her to get to me. I couldn’t risk her life, but
I also couldn’t sit by and do nothing.

I flanked him on the outside of the table.
Jaze and Kaynan fired at the guards to keep them out of sight; the
bullets that flew by me barely registered in the face of Nora in
danger. For the briefest instant, I entertained the thought of
jumping over the desk and crushing Rob with the weight of my body,
drawing his fire to me instead of Nora. I crouched to spring just
as Rob reached under the desk.

A loud explosion sounded. I was thrown
backward as debris and wood flew around the room. A deep,
shuddering noise reverberated above me. I glanced up to see massive
cracks run through the ceiling, thick fissures parting the cement.
Another shudder sounded, then the roof caved in. A chunk of cement
bigger than one of the desks crashed on top of me and pinned me to
the ground. Nora screamed my name, but her voice was faint as
though she was no longer in the room. Water began to flow around my
body as I struggled to get free. Blood streamed through my hair
from the explosion. I tried to push up, but the cement was too
heavy.

“
Quick, get it off him,”
Jaze shouted.

The pressure of the cement eased slightly. A
pair of hands grabbed my ankles and tried to pull me free, but my
shoulders were trapped. Water rushed up past my face. I struggled
against the hands and the cement, heedless of the way the rocks
tore my skin. My breath screamed in my chest. The cement shifted
again. Several hands grabbed my arms. I put all my strength into
one last surge and pushed out. The cement tipped to the side and
hands slid me free.

I sat up gasping for air. Water poured from
the huge gap in the ceiling and it was obvious that if we didn't
move quickly, we would all drown.

Hands held pressure to the back of my head.
“Can you stand?” Jaze asked above the roar of water filling the
room. “Rob and Nora disappeared during the collapse. We have to
find them.” He put a hand to his ear to muffle the roar of water.
“Tris, Roger, there’s a breach in the dam. Get everyone out
now!”

I stood up gingerly. Red touched the corners
of my vision and a black wave danced in front of my eyes. I
stumbled forward, but Jaze and Kaynan caught me. Jaze's concerned
eyes met mine. “Rob and Nora disappeared behind this wall. There’s
a catch somewhere and we have to find it before the room fills. You
know Nora's scent best; we’ll search with you.”

I took a steeling breath and straightened
up. I touched the back of my head and my fingers came away bloody.
I gritted my teeth and made my way around the debris-covered desk.
Water reached half-way up the mahogany now. If it wasn't for the
others, I would have drowned under the cement. I shuddered and
pressed forward, but the only thing on the other side of the desk
was a flat gray wall.

I ran my hands along the cement. The cool,
moistened rock refused to reveal its secrets. I tried to calm the
chaos swirling through my mind. It took all of my concentration to
push away the thunder of water pouring from the hole and Jaze’s
shouted commands as he directed his men. I closed my eyes and
pictured Nora, her green eyes and her long black hair. I moved
slowly back and forth in front of the wall, my eyes still closed
and hands keeping me steady.

The pounding in my head increased with each
step to the point that the pain clouded every other sense. I was
about to give up when a faint breath touched my face. A teasing
tendril of vanilla and sunflowers tangled within it. I dropped to
my knees and dug at the bricks.

“
Did you find something?”
Jaze asked, kneeling beside me.

“
Fresh air,” I replied. I
pointed and searched the area around us for the trigger.

Jaze put his face to it. “You're right,” he
breathed. He stood up and began feeling around the desk for
something we had missed.

I couldn't find a purchase in the stone. The
water level was up to our waists and Jaze's men were returning.

“
Found it,” Jaze called
over his shoulder. He slid something under the water near the foot
of the desk and the panel moved in front of me to reveal a winding
staircase.

“
Lead them up,” I said to
Kaynan; there was no time to question protocol about giving orders
to someone else's pack mate.

Kaynan didn't question and ran up the
stairs. Jet and two other werewolves followed close behind.

I turned and met Jaze’s gaze.

“
You first,” he
said.

“
What about you?” I
asked.

“
I have to make sure my
team gets out,” Jaze replied.

“
I’m not leaving until all
the prisoners are gone.”

He nodded, a gleam of respect in his eyes.
“My thoughts exactly.”

Werewolves, Hunters, and Rob's men who were
now our prisoners pushed quickly up the stairs. Jaze’s team called
to each other, keeping up contact as they helped the others out of
the flooding room. The water was nearly to the roof and we had to
swim to keep our heads above it by the time the guards gave word
that the last werewolf was through. Jaze checked his earpiece one
last time, then motioned me in.

“
You first,” I
said.

He looked like he wanted to argue, then he
ducked through the door and left me in the control room. Objects
floated menacingly in the dark water, my imagination giving
reaching hands to dark chairs and office equipment. One of Rob's
cat-o-nine-tails lay tangled on an empty file box that floated
above his desk. My stomach twisted and I ducked through the opening
to the staircase.

The stairs turned into an upward-sloping
ramp that ended about a half-mile from Lobotraz. The pounding from
the back of my head increased until I had to lean against the wall
to walk. Jaze met me half-way up and threw one of my arms over his
shoulders. “Thought you decided to stay behind.”

“
Just wanted to make sure
no one else would suffer in there,” I replied. I glanced at him.
“Any sign of Nora?”

Jaze's eyes darkened. “They were gone before
Kaynan and the others reached the surface. There’s no sign of where
they went. I have my team searching for trails.”

I cursed softly and hit the wall. I was a
fool; I shouldn't have let her come along. Her life was in her
father's hands again, and I didn't doubt he would keep her under
lock and key this time, if not worse.

“
Hang in there,” Jaze said
quietly, an edge of command to his voice. “Don’t give up on us. We
got your werewolves out, didn’t we?” I glanced at him. He met my
gaze steadily. “I don’t stop until everyone is safe.”

His words reminded me of my own
determination to take care of the werewolves at Two. “That can be a
challenging task.”

He gave a small smile and helped me step
forward. “Tell me about it.”

We walked slowly up the ramp and I leaned
more heavily on him than I liked. He didn’t seem bothered by my
weight, and I wondered how strong the werewolf really was. My head
pounded with each step. Jaze’s werewolves and Hunters waited for us
at the exit to Lobotraz. Jaze refused to step aside and let someone
else help me. He walked at my side to the vehicles and made sure I
was sitting comfortably before he turned away to give orders to
those who waited for him. My respect for the werewolf grew with
every action I observed. Jaze was truly someone worthy of the
respect he quietly commanded.

I leaned against the SUV, letting the pain
of my aching head dull the agony of losing Nora. I had failed her,
and for all I knew she was going to a situation worse than mine had
been at Lobotraz. I buried my head in my hands, so angry at myself
and the world I wished I would have jumped in front of Rob’s gun
and saved Nora.

“
Are you alright?” I looked
up to see a brown-haired werewolf with blue-gray eyes watching me.
She held bandages in one hand and indicated my head. “That needs to
be wrapped.”

I crouched down against the vehicle so she
could reach my head and her nimble fingers swiftly tied bandages
securely against the damaged flesh. When she finished, she stepped
back and looked me over. “I think you’ll live,” she said with a
smile. “I’ve seen worse.”

Jet helped an injured werewolf walk past and
her eyes lit up at seeing him. “Jet!” He helped the werewolf into
an SUV, then came back over and gave her a quick kiss, his dark
eyes and expression lightening just from being near her. “Another
arena down, Taye,” he said in a reference I didn’t understand.

“
They’re getting worse,”
Taye replied with concern in her eyes.

He nodded and she slipped her hand into
his.

I leaned against Mouse's SUV and watched
bony, bruised, worn werewolves climb into the vehicles around us.
Hope shone on some of their faces, but others barely showed a
flicker of emotion at the change in surroundings.

“
Vance!” a voice called. My
heart soared, chasing all other thoughts from my mind. I turned
just before Gem slammed into me, her petite arms wrapping tightly
around my neck and her blue eyes bright; the fresh wounds along her
body had to hurt, but she didn’t show it. “I told you we'd get out!
I just didn't know you'd be the one to do it!”

I lowered her gingerly back to the sand, her
skinny frame sharp under my hands. “I didn't know, either.” It felt
so good to be near her again, like an empty part of my heart filled
to overflowing in her presence. Seeing her in the sunlight drove
the thought home that I could truly be happy with her. She was a
werewolf and we had been through so much together. But part of my
heart longed after Nora, after her calming touch and the way she
knew everything about me and accepted me for who I was. Gem smiled
up at me and I couldn’t hide the torment that swept through my
mind.

“
Are you alright?” she
asked, her voice touched with concern.

I pushed away the troubling thoughts. “After
all you’ve been through, you ask if I’m okay?” I leaned down
swiftly and without thinking, kissed her lightly on the lips.

She laughed and hugged me harder than I
thought her frail body could manage. I glanced up and found Jaze
watching us, a light of understanding in his eyes. I ducked my head
to hide the war within. It felt right to kiss Gem, but something
was missing. I took a breath and tried to clear the chaos of
emotions that swirled through my mind.

Gem tipped her head back at the others.
“What are we going to do with them?”

“
Rehabilitation,” Jaze
answered. He stood a few feet away overseeing the werewolves as
they were assisted into the waiting vehicles. “Then we'll find
their homes.” His brow creased. “Most of my rehab centers are full.
We'll have to split everyone up.”

I shook my head and ran a finger across my
knuckles. “It’d be nice to keep them all together. I think it’ll
help the recovery process.” A thought occurred to me and the
rightness of it surged through my body. “I have the resources. Let
me build them a place.”

Jaze’s eyebrows lifted. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “I need something to do.” I didn’t
say that I would go crazy until we found Nora, but I could tell
Jaze understood.

He nodded. “Thank you.”

Chapter 18

“
I’m just so glad you're
alive,” Mom's voice crackled on the other end of the phone. I
forced down a surge of emotion at her voice. “I can’t tell you how
worried I’ve been. You don’t return any of my emails.”

After Lobotraz, I couldn’t bring myself to
call home. The complete abandonment I experienced there made it
that much harder to dial Mom’s number and hear it confirmed. I
emailed her at Gem’s insistence using one of Mouse’s computers and
briefly detailed my escape, Jaze’s help, and Nora’s disappearance,
and asked for the funding we needed to build a rehabilitation
center. I couldn’t bring myself to open any of the numerous emails
she sent in reply.