Violet (The Silver Series Book 4) (16 page)

We raced through the night and I relished
the soft pine needles under my paws and the brush of the wind
through my fur. Entering the shadows of the trees felt like
crossing into the embrace of home. Deer bounded across our trail
and we gave chase to a few, but it was only in fun and tempered by
Rafe’s growing endurance. We slept a few hours by a brook edged
with ice, and I relished the freedom to stay in wolf form as long
as I wanted. Rafe grew stronger by the hour and by the time we
reached the grove, he had to hold back so I could keep pace with
him.

Rafe stopped so suddenly that I barreled
into him and sent us both sprawling in the pine needles and fallen
leaves. He rose without looking at me, his full attention on the
wolf clearing. His hackles were raised, his teeth bared, and the
tension that rolled off him in waves lifted the fur at my neck. I
sniffed the air, looking for what had alarmed him, and smelled
something that made my stomach curl in disgust and fear.

A lingering scent, a few days old but as
unforgettable as the smell of home, colored the grove along with
the unmistakable scent of death. The first scent brought back the
memory of the fire at the rehabilitation center, a sharp muskiness
with a hint of mint and cheap cologne. I glanced at Rafe and took a
step toward the grove to see what had happened, but he shoulder
past me and stood in my way. Fear at what we would find clouded his
golden eyes.

We had to know. I nudged him gently with my
nose. He shook his head. I pushed him to get him moving, then
followed him into the clearing.

The scent of fear, strangers, and pain
chased away the smells of home, love, warmth, and comfort. I
followed the scent to the mouth of the den and went inside to find
a cold nest and no pups. I found the warmest smell where they had
slept last, and took what little comfort I could in the fact that I
couldn't smell any blood.

I hurried back out of the den, but Rafe was
nowhere in sight. My heart slowed. I loped through the grove,
afraid that whatever had taken the wolves had come back for him. I
practically ran over him just inside the tree line on the other
side. I stopped short and gave a whine of uneasiness, then the
scent of death and decay washed over me. I looked down and found
the alpha of Rafe's pack. He had been shot through the back, then
dragged himself to the base of an ancient evergreen where he died
not long after.

A sob escaped my chest and I ran. I didn't
notice where I was going and didn't slow until I found myself at
the mouth of our cave. I phased inside, pulled on my clothes, and
was fumbling to turn on the cell phone when Rafe stepped in already
in his shorts. Tears streaked his face and he stared at me as
though he couldn't fathom what had happened.

“
It was them, Rafe. It was
the same people after us, after Mom and Dad, and now after your
pack.” Tears streamed down my cheeks. “Why won't they leave us
alone?”

I dropped the phone and he picked it up
before I could. “Who are you calling?”

“
Kaynan. They know we're
here, so we need to leave. We need help.”

Rafe shook his head. “No more people. Look
what they've done.” His gaze darkened and he stared at the cave
wall where drawings of a doe and a fawn at the edge of a river
merged into a charcoal sketch of campers silhouetted against a
campfire. “People destroy everything.” He gestured toward the
cooler where his wind-up radio sat. “I've listened to the news.
It's filled with violence, hatred, and every bad thing one person
can do to another. I was a fool to believe that wouldn't find me
here.”

I stared at him, unsure what to say and so
filled with grief I could barely think. “We can't stay,” I managed
to get out.

“
And where do you want to
go?” His eyes flashed. “Back to where your parents have to fear for
their lives because of what you are? Where people kill each other
for a dollar and money can buy murder? Is that where you feel
safe?”

I opened my mouth, but no argument came to
me except, “I'm afraid, Rafe.” I whispered the words and looked at
the ground at my feet. I couldn't meet his eyes and let him see how
truly scared I was that they had tracked us here, how much I
worried about my brother and Grace, and the fear I felt that they
would find my parents despite the precautions we had taken.

A tear leaked from the corner of my eye and
I moved to wipe it away, but Rafe caught my hand in his and ran
soft fingers over my cheek. “I'm sorry,” he said. He pulled me
close, covered my mouth with his own for the briefest second, then
held me against his chest and whispered in my hair, “I'll take you
back.”

We climbed the mountain to the peak where
the cougar had attacked Rafe. Neither of us looked in the direction
of the boulders as we waited for the cell phone’s reception to
improve. When I dialed the number, the connection buzzed with
static.

“
Colleen? Oh, thank
goodness,” Kaynan said, his voice tight.

“
Kaynan, it's terrible, the
wolves, they-”

“
They've taken Mouse,”
Kaynan's voice crackled. “We're in danger.”

“
Mouse? They took Mouse?”
Trepidation shot through me at what they would put him through,
especially if they were the same people responsible for the wolves.
My heart raced at what he knew, and what they would do to get it
out of him.

Kaynan spoke quickly, “Jaze is out with a
search party, so I’ll pick you up myself. How soon can you be at
the road?”

“
Early morning. We've
already started out. We’ll meet you at the gas station.”

“
Good. I'll see you there.”
He paused, then, “What were you saying about the
wolves?”

I blinked back tears. “They killed the alpha
and took the rest of the pack.”

Kaynan swore and the frustrated anger in his
voice sent a shiver through my skin. “Tell Rafe we'll find them. We
won't give up until they're home safe.”

“
I'll tell him,” I replied,
touched. I hung up the phone and turned to tell Rafe what Kaynan
said, but he cut me off.

“
Werewolf, remember?” He
gave a sad half-smile and pointed to his ear.

We walked in silence through the trees until
neither of us could stand the swarm of thoughts that wouldn't leave
us alone; we then phased and ran in the mile-eating lope of the
wolf.

We didn't stop until we reached the trees
that edged the gas station parking lot, then we phased back to
human form and I talked Rafe into eating something with me while we
waited. He was so pale and the red angry lines across his stomach
had stopped healing because he had pushed himself so hard.

I was surprised to see the same attendant
behind the register when we stepped into the gas station. He looked
up from his graphic novel at me, then stared, recognition clear in
his eyes. I was glad I was a bit more decently dressed than just a
tee-shirt this time, but it was obvious he wished it were
otherwise.

I put a few bottles of water, some jerky,
and a candy bar on the counter and handed him the cash Kaynan had
forced me to take with my phone.

The cashier stared. “I thought you were a
dream,” he said in a voice just above a whisper. He made no move to
take the money. “I thought, well,” he blushed and held up his book.
“I thought I'd read too many comics.”

I fought back a smile. “I'm definitely
real.”

His eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

“
Pretty sure.” I glanced
behind me to find Rafe watching us both with a bemused expression
on his face. I rolled my eyes and turned back to the cashier. “Can
we buy these?”

He shook his head and pushed them toward me.
“They're on the house.”

I gave him a doubtful look. “Why?”

He smiled shyly. “For letting me know that
the girl of my dreams really does exist.” He put the items in a bag
and handed it to me.

“
Uh, thanks.” I took the
bag with mixed feelings, but wasn't in the mood to argue against
generosity. I hesitated, then said, “I took your cell phone last
time I was here. I’ll replace it.”

He shook his head and grinned, pushing his
glasses up further on his nose. “I knew it was you. I didn’t cancel
the service in the hopes that maybe I could find you again.” He
ears turned red at the admission.

Flustered, my throat tightened with the
memory of how the phone had saved Rafe’s life. “Thank you,” I said
sincerely. “That means more than you know.”

Rafe and I went back outside and it wasn't
until we reached the trees again that he shot me a probing
look.

“
What?” I asked
defensively.

His golden eyes lightened a bit. “Looks like
you have a friend down there.”

I lifted the bag. “Handy.”

“
You had the money to pay,”
he pointed out.

I fought back the urge to argue, reminding
myself that he had just gone through something tragic. “I was
trying to be nice.”

“
It was cute to see you
perplexed; you're usually so calm and collected.” He gave me a
teasing look that made me smile.

I rolled my eyes. “Thanks.”

We settled under the trees and ate sparingly
of our snacks. Neither of us had much of an appetite, but phasing
burned a lot of calories and by the time Kaynan drove up, we had
finished most of the food.

Kaynan and Jet both climbed out and the
expressions on their faces made the pit in my stomach deepen.

I asked the obvious. “No word from
Mouse?”

Kaynan shook his head. “Nothing.”

“
So what do we do? How do
we find him?” My heart clenched at the thought of the scrawny
werewolf with the shy, sweet smile being hurt by the government
men.

“
Wait,” came Jet's simple
reply. He climbed back into the gray SUV, his jaw set and gaze on
the trees.

Rafe helped me into the vehicle, then
climbed in and sat by the window, his eyes also on the trees. His
expression was one of deep loss as though someone had taken his
soul and stomped on it, leaving boot impressions that could never
be erased.

When we reached Jaze's house, our friends
hurried out as though they had been watching for us despite the
late hour. Mrs. Carso met us by the porch and gave Rafe a hug that
surprised him. “I'm so sorry about your pack,” she said, her voice
thick with emotion. “Jaze has already put out word with the Hunters
and they're doing what they can to help find them.”

Jaze walked through the door with a cell
phone in his hand. “We're working on narrowing down the location of
their complex.” His eyes tightened. “But they're good at hiding
their tracks. I'm worried that we'll be forced to wait for them to
contact us.”

“
What if they don't?” I
asked.

Kaynan's lips pressed into a tight line, his
arm around Grace's shoulders. “They will. It's us they want.” He
looked from Mrs. Carso to Jaze. “We put you in danger just by being
here. It's our fault Mouse is gone.”

“
You don't know that,”
Brock pointed out. It was strange to see him without food and I
realized he was so worried about his friend's disappearance that he
had even forgotten about eating.

Kaynan gave a tight, humorless smile. “They
really haven't left us any doubt. If we hadn't reached my parents'
house in time, they'd be missing, too.” He sighed and looked at me.
“We endanger everyone around us.”

The thought that the wolves' capture and the
alpha's death were my fault hit me so hard I felt sick. Tears
filled my eyes and I looked at Rafe. “He's right. We should
go.”

Rafe's golden eyes hardened; he put his
strong hands on both of my shoulders and looked me straight in the
eyes. “You are never leaving my side again. We're in this together,
and if the wolves and Mouse's disappearance are anyone's fault,
it's the fault of the people who made you werewolves.” His gaze
softened and he spoke as though he and I were the only people in
the world, not surrounded by a group of humans and werewolves on a
porch in the middle of the night. “And I am so grateful for them
that anything they do pales in comparison, because without them, I
wouldn't have you.”

The tears fell down my cheeks and I hugged
him tight. “But it's still our fault,” I said.

He tipped his face down into my hair. “Then
we'll do what we can to make it right.”

Mrs. Carso led us all back into the living
room and served fresh rolls and hot cocoa. Nobody ate, but it was
comforting to hold the warm mugs.

***

Everyone sat numb with exhaustion and the
chaos of thoughts that wouldn't slow. It was the early hours of the
morning. The Hunters hadn't been able to track anyone down and
every plan had been gone over and dismissed at least a dozen times.
Jaze answered phone calls every few minutes, but no good news
followed.

The girls nursed cold cups of hot cocoa
around the table and the boys sat and stood in various places
around the kitchen when a squeal of tires in the driveway made
everyone jump. Jet was the first to reach the front door. He flung
it open and jumped down the porch, his knives out and teeth bared.
The rest of us followed and saw a large canvas bag thrown out of a
car before tires squealed again and the car sped away.

Jet ran to the bag. He tore it open, the
fear on his face at what he would find so stark that the rest of us
couldn't move from the porch. He touched what was in the bag, said
something softly, then looked up. “He's alive,” he said with relief
so thick his eyes shone with tears.

The rest of us ran down to him. The sight of
Mouse beaten so severely that his face was nearly unrecognizable
made me want to cry. Jet, Jaze, and Kaynan helped him gently from
the bag and carried him straight to Meg and Roger's. Meg opened the
door without a word and led them to the operating room. They set
Mouse on the table, the pained expression on his bloody face filled
with sorrow.