Violet (The Silver Series Book 4) (14 page)

Kaynan asked, “How about the Rasmussens?” He
looked from Jaze to Jet and Mouse. “They're old family friends from
across town. I doubt they'd be found there.”

Jaze nodded. “Perfect. Can you call them
immediately?”

Mom hurried to the kitchen and we listen to
her dial.

“
We won't be able to stay,”
Kaynan told Dad gently.

He looked at me as though he couldn't
believe that I was standing in our hallway again. He lifted an arm
and I ducked under it and leaned against him. “Then we'll just have
to enjoy the time we have,” he said, though it was obvious he
didn't like the idea of us leaving anymore than we did.

“
If we could stay without
bringing you danger, we would,” Kaynan said. His sincerity
surprised me. I hadn't seem him interact with our parents since
before the accident, and those moments had always been painful and
frustrating even though he could never explain why. It was
refreshing to hear that he genuinely wanted to be around them.
“Besides, us showing up at the Rasmussens’ after dying might raise
a few questions.”

“
It might,” Dad said with
his old smile.

Mom came back down the hall. “Darling said
we were more than welcome. I told them we had a gas leak and we
couldn't go back home until the gas company found out where it was
and fixed it.”

“
Good thinking,” Dad
replied. He pulled his wife to his other side and hugged us both
for a minute. Everyone waited in silence. I didn't want him to let
go. Their scents were so familiar and comforting, Mom's baking
flour, sugar, garden flowers and molasses along with the smell of
Dad's sawdust, engine oil, and oranges. It brought so much of my
youth back and gave peace to the unsettled parts of my mind. I had
so much to tell them, but it would have to wait until
later.

I sighed. “You should probably go.”

Dad nodded. “As long as you promise to come
back when all of this is over with.”

“
Wild horses couldn't keep
me away,” I said.

He smiled at his favorite phrase. “Good.” He
led Mom reluctantly upstairs to gather a few things.

I followed Kaynan into the kitchen and took
a deep breath of the homemade bread on the stove that sat next to
an open jar of Mom's raspberry jelly. Kaynan cut everyone a thick
slice of bread, spread butter on it that melted from the warmth of
the loaf, then generously heaped jelly onto each slice before
handing it out to Jaze, Jet, Mouse, and me. The others ate their
slices with obvious enjoyment, but I could only hold mine, reminded
of eating fresh toast with Mom in the mornings before school, and
the same bread on a plateful of chicken and potatoes at night.

“
Good to be home, huh?”
Kaynan asked quietly.

I met his gaze and sighed. “So good. I
didn't realize how much I missed it.”

“
I know.” He took a bite of
his bread and held it in his mouth for a moment. When he swallowed,
he gave a sad smile. “I missed out on the best part of being a
kid.”

“
We still had great times,”
I reminded him.

He shook his head. “I threw them away and
was selfish and mean. You know what the worst part is?” He rubbed
his eyes. “I can't even tell you why.”

“
You were a teenager. It's
normal.”

“
It shouldn't
be.”

I patted his arm just as Mom and Dad came
back to the kitchen with an armful of belongings. “We're ready,”
Dad said, “But we aren't about to leave you defenseless.” He handed
Jaze the rifle he had brought down, then gave Kaynan his
pistol.

“
We're not exactly
defenseless,” Jaze said. The boys exchanged glances. Kaynan touched
the metal band he wore around his wrist and Mouse gave one of his
rare smiles. Jet opened and closed his fists as if itching for a
fight.

“
Well, I'd feel better
knowing everyone was out of harm's way,” Dad continued.

“
We'll leave right after
you,” Kaynan reassured him.

We escorted them to Dad's old blue truck,
their only vehicle left since the accident.

“
Sorry about the car,”
Kaynan said quietly.

“
Don't worry about it,” Mom
answered. She slid across the seat so Dad could get in. “I
preferred the truck anyway because I can cuddle with Dad while he
drives.”

I laughed and gave her another hug through
her window. “I'll be back, I promise.”

“
We'll be waiting,” she
said with a warm smile, hugging me back tightly with damp
eyes.

Kaynan passed her something through the
window. “Promise me you'll wear it.”

Mom took the package, her eyes bright with
surprise. “What's this?” She opened it and took out a necklace with
a wolf paw print on it.

Kaynan grinned. “A little cheesy, I know,
but I asked Mouse to make it for you.”

We all looked at Mouse and he fought back a
smile while he looked at his feet, his cheeks so red his ears
turned pink.

“
It's beautiful,” Mom said.
She put it around her neck. “I'll never take it off.” She leaned
out the window and Kaynan surprised her again by kissing her on the
cheek. She gave us a warm smile and leaned back in next to Dad, her
eyes on us both as though she never wanted to lose sight of us
again. I knew exactly how she felt; it was as though I had been
given my parents back just to have them taken away
again.

Mom must have noticed my look because she
smiled bravely. “I'll have another loaf of bread ready as soon as
we get back and Dad'll make his orange juice, then the four of us
need to lock ourselves in the house for about a month to catch
up.”

“
Sounds good to me,” I said
with a grateful laugh. “Although we might have to shoot for two
months.”

“
Wild horses couldn't keep
me away,” Dad said. He took a deep breath as though to convince
himself he really had to drive away. “Now you'll call us when it's
safe to go back home?” he pressed, stalling.

Kaynan gave him Jaze's cell phone number on
a piece of scratch paper. “Yes, and if anything comes up, give us a
call immediately.”

“
Will do.” Dad hesitated
again before climbing into the truck. He held out his arms and we
both stepped into them. He gave us a tight hug, then climbed
inside, his eyes shining. “Take care of yourselves.”

“
You do the same,” Kaynan
said with a sternness that made us all smile.

We watched them drive away and it felt like
I was losing them all over again. I had to keep reminding myself
that they would be back when everything was over, and that I would
come back and introduce them to Rafe. I couldn't quite force away
the foreboding that rose in my chest, but there was nothing I could
do about it.

“
Are we staying?” Mouse
asked quietly.

I looked at him in surprise, but Kaynan
nodded. “The way I see it, we can keep running, or we can stop them
where we know they'll be. We can't hide everyone forever.”

Jaze nodded. “The sooner we end this, the
better.”

I followed them back inside, reluctant to be
in the house without my parents. It felt empty without them, like a
tree without a bird.

Chapter 11

I stayed in my room that night, but sleep
never came. I played with the toys that had survived me growing up
and deciding that I was too old for such things. I toyed with my
make-up, but my black hair with purple highlights and my new purple
irises were so stark I didn't feel make-up was necessary
anymore.

It was strange to look at my new self in the
mirror, as if I truly had been given a new life by the accident.
Gone was the soft innocence of youth that I saw in the dozen
photographs taped to my mirror, gone was the carefree smile and
blue eyes, gone was the curly blond hair, caring about prom gowns,
first kisses, and who talked to whom about what.

In place of the happy sophomore was a girl
who looked to be in control of her future. I laughed at the thought
because I had never felt more out of control sitting in the home of
my youth and waiting to be attacked by government officials out to
kill me, but there was a determined set to my jaw and a fearless
light in my eyes that had never been there before. I looked like I
was ready to face whatever came at me. I sighed, touched my black
hair one last time, and hoped I was right.

The door opened a crack. My heart slowed
when Jet hesitated, then pushed it open all the way. “They're
here,” he said in his short, succinct way. There was a light of
anticipation in his dark blue eyes.

I stared at him. “You're looking forward to
this.”

A hint of a smile touched his lips, then
faded. His brow creased. “You're afraid.”

I shook my head and said too quickly, “No,
I'm not.”

Jet lifted an eyebrow at the lie. “We'll
stop them.”

I couldn't hold back the argument that
formed in my head. “Then what? We hide at Jaze's forever? My
parents take up permanent residence with the Rasmussens? Wolves
aren't meant to be hunted.”

“
Tell me about it,” he said
quietly, his tone strange. He took a small breath, then continued,
“It's better than running.”

His words rang true. I sighed and gave in.
“You're right. Like Kaynan said, at least we know where they'll
strike.”

He nodded and pulled something from the back
of his belt. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of Dad's pistol.
I shook my head, but he handed it to me anyway and said,
“Hide.”

It offended me to think that they expected
me to let them face all the danger. “No way.”

“
You've got-”

I cut him off. “I'm not hiding while you
guys get yourselves killed. Kaynan and I are family. We fight
together.”

I tried to give him back the gun, but he
shook his head. “Look,” he said, his gaze intense. “Your brother is
brave and can be a good fighter, but only if he doesn't have to
worry about you. He lost you once. Worrying about losing you again
will get him killed. Understand?”

His words sent daggers through my heart. I
wanted to protest, but if me fighting put Kaynan in danger, I had
to swallow my pride. “Fine.”

Relief showed briefly in his eyes before he
turned and walked back down the hall. I followed him to the kitchen
where Mouse, Jaze, and Kaynan spoke quietly together. They glanced
up when I entered and Kaynan looked like he was about to argue.

I put up my hands. “It's okay. I already
promised Jet that I'd hide.” I couldn't fight down the worry that
filled my chest. “But I wanted to make sure you could take care of
yourself.”

Kaynan put a hand on the metal wristband I
hadn't seen him without since the accident. The band sprung loose
and snapped out into a straight line like the slap bracelets I used
to collect. Blades showed from one end and Kaynan flourished it
briefly. He flipped it backward and forward. The dark blade
glittered in the kitchen light as he worked it smoothly and
efficiently. I could only stare at the sight of my older brother
wielding a deadly instrument as though he was ready to use it.

He put the blade back on his wrist, then
gave me a slightly embarrassed smile. “Jet's a good teacher. I'll
be fine.”

I rushed to my brother and gave him a quick
hug. “You'd better be,” I said fiercely. “I'm not explaining to
Mom, Dad, or Grace why you aren't coming home, so you'd better take
care of yourself.”

He surprised me by hugging me back as
tightly instead of just tolerating it like he used to. “I will,” he
promised.

I let go. “I'll be in the pantry in case you
need backup.”

Kaynan opened his mouth to argue, then
sighed and nodded. “Might be a good idea.”

I gave the others a weak smile, then went
back into the hall and slipped into the pantry Dad had built in the
slanted closet under the stairs. My breath sounded loud in my ears.
I wondered how far away the enemy was, then froze at the sound of a
window being forced open at the back of the house. I debated
whether I should slip out and tell the boys, but Jet’s soft
footsteps in the hall told me they already knew.

My heart pounded so loud I wondered if the
other werewolves could hear it. I clutched the gun tightly in both
hands and ran through the brief lesson Dad had given me on loading
and unloading; I checked the safety about a million times while I
waited in the darkness.

A muffled cry sounded, followed by a soft
thud. Several running footsteps echoed down the hall, then several
more cries. Kaynan shouted something and Jaze answered. Jet grunted
a reply to them both. A shot rang out and I jumped. The sound was
amplified by the tiny pantry and I almost dropped my gun in an
attempt to cover my ears.

I pressed an ear to the door to check if the
fighting had stopped. Images of each of the boys lying bleeding or
dead on the floor flashed through my mind. I couldn't wait
anymore.

I pushed open the door. The hinge squeaked
like it always did and I froze, holding my breath. When nothing
moved, I stepped softly down the hall. Adrenaline surged through my
body and I had to force down the urge to phase and take them on as
a wolf, but I knew less about fighting as a wolf than I did as a
human. At least I had a gun.

I slid the safety off and watched the
floorboards for the one that creaked. I paused by the entry to the
living room, then turned slowly around the corner, gun out and a
finger on the trigger.

A shadow moved by the window. A surprised
squeak escaped my lips and I squinted, trying to make out who it
was with the flutter of curtains and the shifting moonlight
confusing my eyesight. A hand shot out from beside me, grabbing the
gun and twisting it out of my grip in one smooth motion while
pulling me back into the shadows. I recognized Jaze's scent and was
glad I had the presence of mind not to shout. He put a finger to
his lips, then pointed again at the window.