Violet (The Silver Series Book 4) (24 page)

“
Jet, wait!” I shouted. He
looked at me, his dark blue eyes wide. I glanced around the room.
Mom and Dad stared at the men, their eyes wide with fear. Jaze
leaned forward on the couch to shield both Nikki and his mother,
his eyes narrow and anger at the intrusion clear on his face. Jet
stood protectively over Taye, muscles tense as though he would snap
at any moment.

Kaynan had risen to a crouched position, his
hand on Grace's arm and his eyes on the guards. Both Brock and
Mouse were in the corner by the plate of cookies. They had been
laughing with Meg and Roger moments before, but all four of them
now looked as if they didn't dare to move. Rafe had been in the
process of opening the gifts I had picked for him, a hunting knife
and a real backpack. His hands were completely still above the box
and he watched me with concerned, calculating eyes, their gold
shining brightly in the warmly lit room.

“
Do you really want them
shooting in here?” I questioned to all of my friends. No one needed
to answer. We were badly outnumbered, and we didn't have a choice.
I met my brother's eyes. “Kaynan, let's go.”

“
Colleen, no,” Mom
protested.

“
It'll be alright, Mom,”
Kaynan said in a tight voice. He squeezed Grace's arm reassuringly,
then rose and walked with me to the door. Rafe moved to follow, but
I shook my head. I tipped my head toward the room and he knew he
had no choice. We wouldn't risk our pack.

Kaynan grabbed my hand on the way out the
door and tightened his fingers meaningfully. I followed his gaze to
his wristband and my heart tightened, but I nodded. We followed the
guards in front of us to the lawn, then we both stopped. I bit the
edges of the pocket on my wristband as Kaynan did the same. The
guards started yelling, but I swallowed the two orange pills before
they could stop me.

My stomach hurt; I didn’t know if it was
from the pills or my fear of what would happen when they took
effect. I grabbed Kaynan's hand and waited for the inevitable pain
and death that would follow. He held my fingers tight, his own as
tense as mine.

I closed my eyes, but nothing happened for
several seconds. A sound began and it took me a second to identify
it. Someone was clapping. I opened my eyes to see Agent Sullivan
rising from an unmarked blue car parked near the driveway.

“
I don't understand,” I
said.

He shrugged with a grin. “You did as you
promised and ate the pills. We now have reason to believe that
given a similar, more sinister situation, you would truly end your
lives as promised to keep more unethical and, frankly, just plain
evil experiments from taking place.” He walked through the circle
of guards around us and reached for my hand. I yielded in a fog. He
lifted my wrist, unhooked the wristband, and let it fall to the
grass. “We will interfere with your lives no longer.”

He unclipped Kaynan's wristband and tossed
it next to mine, then turned to walk away. Kaynan stared. “That's
it? You pretend to kidnap us so we'll commit suicide with fake
pills, then you leave, just like that?” His voice rose at the end
with an edge of anger.

Agent Sullivan turned back around with a
gleam of humor in his eyes. “It could be worse. You could be
dead.”

Kaynan leaped at him but I caught his arm
before the guards could move to intercept my brother. “Let him go,”
I urged. “It's alright. We're okay and everyone's safe.” My mind
still reeled at the thought that it had been a test, but my heart
was starting to pound a bit stronger at the fact that the suicide
bands were gone. I met the agent's gaze. “So we're free? No
monitoring, no suicide pills, nothing?”

He nodded, a kind smile on his face. “You
can live your lives without fear of seeing me again unless
something truly terrible and unexpected manifests.”

I rolled my eyes. “Reassuring.”

He winked. “Think of it as a great Christmas
present.”

I glanced toward the door where everyone was
spilling out onto the porch. Rafe stood by the stairs with a look
of relief on his face. I smiled and turned back to the agent. “We
will; thank you. Enjoy Christmas with your kids.”

He nodded and slid into the backseat of the
blue car. We watched the guards walk back to their vehicles and
drive away. Rafe came down the steps and stood behind me with his
hands on my shoulders. “Suicide pills?” he whispered into my
ear.

I shrugged. “I had no choice, and it was
easier not to tell you.”

He sighed and turned me around. “Just
promise me one thing,” he said, his golden eyes melting into
mine.

“
Anything,” I said softly;
my heart raced at the heat that ran up my arms from his
touch.

“
Next time, you better make
sure you get enough pills for the both of us, because there's no
way I'm losing you again.”

He pulled me to his chest. I listened to his
heart beat and smiled at the fact that I would be able to listen to
it for the rest of my life. Snow fell in big flakes, catching in my
hair and landing on the ground with a soft whoosh muffled by the
cold air. I held out a hand and watched a flake land on my palm and
melt.

Mom and Dad stepped out on the porch with
Mrs. Carso behind them. The look of relief on everyone’s faces
matched the weight that had been lifted off my shoulders at the
removal of the wristband. “Colleen,” Mom called. When I turned, her
eyes were bright. “How do werewolves celebrate Christmas?”

I stared at her when the realization of what
she was asking hit. Kaynan laughed next to me, then pulled off his
shirt. He phased into the crimson-coated wolf and started running
through the yard toward the forest. The others quickly gave in and
soon wolves of all sizes and colors bounded through the falling
snow. Rafe bumped my shoulder and I chased him across the white
ground as snow reflected the moonlight and lit the world around us
in an unearthly glow. I looked back once to see Dad standing on the
porch with his arm around Mom, her head on his shoulder and a
content smile on her face.

A bark sounded and I glanced up just as
Kaynan pounced on me and drove my face into the snow. I jumped up
and chased him. He brushed against Grace and the lithe gray wolf
ran beside him, their footsteps falling as one in the deepening
thicket of white. Rafe ghosted up beside me and we followed the
other wolves to the forest and the waiting world beyond. Nothing
could stop us, and nothing threatened us. The love of my life ran
silently at my side, and my world was right once more.

About the Author

Cheree Alsop is the mother of a beautiful,
talented daughter and two amazing twin sons who fill every day with
light and laughter. She married her best friend, Michael, who
changes lives each day in his Chiropractic clinic. Cheree is
currently working as a free-lance writer and mother. She enjoys
reading, riding her Ninja motorcycle on warm nights, and rocking
her twins while planning her next book. She is also an aspiring
drummer and bass player for her husband’s garage band.

Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they
rock out, enjoy the outdoors, plan great adventures, and never stop
dreaming.