Female Novel
Chapter 99
“You can’t, not yet.” Kade hissed, wrapping his arm around my waist to fasten me against his torso. This was the first I had felt from him since he was taken, and now the bond between us was pulling meforward. I only stopped squirming when I noticed Tori’s red face, and how she was currently backed up againstZayne Novak. The two of them were flattened against the house. I didn’t miss how his arm waswrapped around his waist, his fingers just an inch above her shirt line. His other hand still rested overher mouth, an attempt to silence her when the guard had come out to investigate. Her heart soundedlike a distant helicopter, mirroring the sound of Zayne’s.
“Are you alright?” I asked her, when both Kade and Zayne finally let us go. “I’m fine.” She huffed under her breath, which was a good enough answer for me at the moment.novelbin
“Guys, I got the window open.” Ava’s sudden outburst made me jump, and instinctively place a handagainst my chest. Ava sauntered up to the four of us, seemingly clueless to what had just happened. “Igot it open while you guys were–busy.” Zayne went through the window first, before helping Tori and I through. Ava was next, and then Kade. I was surprised that Zayne could actually get his hands d***y, but that in no way changed my opinionabout the man. His styled hair and tailored suits made him seem neat and untouchable. This was theside of Zayne that little got to see, I suspected. The side that got his hands d***y–the side that hadhelped to free countless white wolves. Zayne Novak wasn’t black or white, but various shades of grey. He helped the white wolves in his father’s clutches, the ones that would go unnoticed. He even helpedNaveah and Isaac escape with their child, something Marcus was bound to notice. Yet, even with thosegood deeds, he remains at his father’s side. I’ll always be a bit biased though, considering he rejectedmy best-friend. The bathroom we currently stood in was small. It fit the five of us, but just barely. The tile on the floorwas cracked, and the toilet stained from years of dust and grime. “There’s three in the living room.” Zayne murmured to us, wedging the door open just a millimeter.
“You’ll have one chance before they rush you, Ava.” “I got this.” Ava nodded confidently, plucking the headphone from her ear to wrap the chord around herneck. Just as Ava maneuvered through the small bathroom to the door, Zayne leaned in close. It wasimpossible not to hear what he was telling her, though I knew the words weren’t meant for our ears. “Do not s***w up and leave me to tell your parents they lost another kid.” He said, his voice hard but notcruel. Ava gave him a long look before nodding. She then gripped the doorknob in her hand, her knuckleswhite around the tarnished metal. She inched the bathroom door open and slid outside. Melted into thehard planes of Kade’s torso, I peered through the slim crack in the door. The three men in the living room were sitting at a cheap foldout table. A deck of cards was scatteredamongst numerous bottles of beer. There were a few plastic plates with half-eaten pizza on them, all ofwhich looked at least a day old. A small television in the corner of the room played an old football rerun.All three of the men had that large build of most werewolves, even if they weren’t overtly muscular.
Ava stood just at the beginning of the hall, only feet away from where the men sat. The speakerchatting away on the tv was the only thing covering the sound of her beating heart. I could tell the moment the men registered her scent, and knew that someone had broken into thehouse. One by one, they all stiffened. They were trying to feign nonchalance, so Ava could continuebelieving she hadn’t yet been caught. Ava anticipated that, and flung her arms out at her sides. One of the men was just about to stand from his chair, but froze mid-way. Three thuds sounded as thetwo slumped from their chairs, and the third tumbled to the floor. “Did she k**l them?” I asked, wide-eyed. Even this far in the world of werewolves, violence still surprised me. I tried not to think of what I haddone to Desmond, and instead forced myself to think about Alec. “No, she didn’t k**l them.” Zayne said flatly, opening the door even though he hadn’t seen Ava
complete the job. Clearly, he had some faith in her. “Ava’s young, so her abilities are still growing. Allwe know is they have something to do with the mind. She’s able to knock just about anyone out for atleast half an hour. Resisting her abilities isn’t about being physically strong, but mentally.” Sure enough, all three men were face first into the half-finished carpet of the living room. “Easy.” Ava shrugged, nudging one of the unconscious men with the tip of her boot. “Big muscles,small brains.” “There’s going to be more in here.” Zayne warned her, scowling at the man on the floor. “Let’s hopethey thought nothing of the noise.” “I can’t prevent everything.” Ava rolled her eyes, gesturing dramatically for the four of us to step out ofthe cramped bathroom. “Besides, I like the way it sounds when they fall.” We searched the floor of the house, through the moldy kitchen with its leaking roof, and the diningroom the guards used as a sleeping area. Once we were positive there were no more guards on thelower half of the house, we each crept upstairs.Zayne remained close to Ava. I wasn’t sure if it were some strange protective side of him, or if he trulydidn’t feel like telling her parents she had been k****d. I could smell the men before I saw them. One of the upstairs showers was running, crackling andspewing out water that smelled just a bit strange. I figured that shower was a blessing. Nothing likebeing stuck in a rundown house with ten men and a broken shower. With the stench of mold alone, itwas a wonder they smelled anything in here. “I’ll stay posted at the bathroom while you guys keep going. Make sure there’s no more guards thencome back for this one.” Tori suggested with a shrug, “I’ll let you guys know if he gets out, but with therate that water’s coming out, I’d be surprised if he finished within the next ten minutes.” Kade paused before turning his eyes on Zayne. Deep within the depths of Kade’s eyes, there was acertain disappointment there. Even with Kade’s abrasive personality, he likes Tori. She was practicallyimpossible not to get along with. To see his mate’s best-friend suffering from such a shithead, it didn’tsettle well with any of us. “Stay with her.” Kade told Zayne, his gravelly voice even harsher than usual.
I could see the challenge in Kade’s eyes, and knew that soon Kade wouldn’t hold back from getting hishands on Zayne. Zayne seemed to sense the same thing, but refused to back down. I’ve beenbeginning to call it an Alpha’s arrogance, but it seemed to be the one universal trait they all had incommon. Zayne’s seafoam eyes darkened to that of stormy skies, where Kade’s hardened to onyx. Tori seemedto sense the same thing as I, even without the ability to feel emotions. “You two can finish this later, because right now is probably the worst moment for this conversation.” Isnapped at the two of them, not bothering to tell either one to let it go. They were both too stubborn todrop their absolute hatred of one another. I turned and locked eyes with a seething Kade, which wouldhave been terrifying if I knew he wouldn’t ever harm me. “We need to find your brother, and no matterhow satisfying this fight would be, it’s not going to help us get Alec back.” Kade’s anger wasn’t easily extinguished. That fire simply retreated, still burning within the depths ofhim. For now, though, his focus was redirected. “Let’s go.” Kade grunted, placing a gentle hand at my back as we left Tori and Zayne, continuing downthe hall. Kade shadowed Ava and I as we continued onward, still protecting her as Zayne would. We could hearthe dull murmur of voices further down the hall and in one of the rooms. At one point, we had crouchlow to avoid a gaping hole in the wall. Through there, I could make out at least four more men. We stopped just as the hallway ended in a right turn. At the end of that hallway was a door, with fourmen sitting around it. Another fold out plastic table had been set up, with beer cans and fast-foodwrappers scattered on top. These men were like the others, their guard completely down. I could understand why they would believe we’d never find this place. It technically existed under thename of Desmond Deville, who was rotting wherever Jaspar Fox had put him. The thought still churnedmy stomach, a side effect I wasn’t sure would ever fade. If it weren’t for Zayne’s information, would weever have found this place? Could Garrett, Julian, or the twin’s resources have discovered this? “Four?” Ava muttered under her breath, “Man, he needs to take me out for practice more. I’m nevergoing to get stronger if I can’t flex my abilities a little.”
She stepped out from behind the corner at the very last moment, her arms stretched out at her sides.The men never even had time to glance her way before their eyes rolled and their bodies slumped tothe floor. Ava swayed for a moment, but caught herself against the wall. She frowned and waved Kade away ashe came over to help. “I’ll be fine. Just haven’t used my abilities on that many people before.” She huffed, straighteningherself and smoothing out her skirt. “I’m going to knock that last guy out, then fetch Zayne and Tori.” Ava stalked off down the hall, and I turned my attention on the door that sat ahead. My heart was thundering now, not from the adrenaline, but from the dull scent that still lingered in thehallway. I took deep breaths of it, my chest aching as I remembered the night he had been taken. Icould feel the tether connecting the three of us, and right now it was guiding me forward. To the door atthe end of the hall, where Alec’s scent was strongest.I would have stumbled forward if it weren’t for Kade’s reassuring arm around my waist, guiding meforward and over the unconscious guards. ‘Can you feel him?’ Kade asked, his voice unusually low. ‘I can.’ I nodded, without a single trace of doubt in my voice. ‘He might be unconscious, but he’s alive.’ ‘I can feel him too.’ Kade admitted, just a glimmer of hope in his eyes. As Kade gripped the doorknob with steady fingers, I sucked in a harsh breath. The hinges creaked andgroaned, rusted from being unused. The bedroom was clearly meant to be the master, and was free ofall furniture apart from a bed. On that bed, with an IV in his arm, was Alec. Rage burned within me at the sight of him. He had clearly lost weight, and was being fed through somekind of tube. There were dark circles under his eyes, his hair messy and greasy, but he was alive. Icould hear the strong thud of his heart, and knew it would play in my ears for a long time to come. I stood there for a few seconds, tracing my eyes over every inch of him. My finger’s twitched when Ifound the spot where his dimple was, a few inches from the corner of his lips. For once, I couldn’t focuson the emotions of the people around me. All I could feel was my endless guilt, smothering me like a
thick quilt. We would get him out of here, and he would never look like this again. I reminded myself of this overand over again, until the pain lessened enough for me to breathe. “I can get these tubes out of him.” I could hear Tori’s voice from far away, drifting closer with each beatof Alec’s heart. Her nervous chuckle was close by, “Dad taught me something useful after all.” ‘Breathe, sweetheart.’ Kade’s thoughts trickled in with my own, pulling me from the abyss I had nearlyfallen into. ‘I know what you’re thinking, and none of this is your fault. You couldn’t hide yourself fromthe world–it wouldn’t have lasted, and it wasn’t what was best for you. Eventually, Marcus would havefound out about you. We were created for each other, because one mate isn’t enough to protect you.What Alec just went through–we would both endure it if it kept you safe.’