Crimson (The Silver Series Book 3) (12 page)

“
So it really works?” Mr.
Davies asked, his voice a touch tighter than before.

Grace nodded. “It’s amazing. He can show me
everything he’s seeing. It’s like- it’s like a miracle.” Her voice
trembled when I lifted my gaze and looked slowly around the room. I
met Jaze’s eyes once more, then looked at Nikki, Taye, Jet, Brock,
Mouse, Mrs. Carso, and the Davies. “I can finally see you,” she
whispered. Something soft splashed on top of my head.

“
Oh, honey,” Mrs. Carso
said. She gave Grace a big hug, then let her go and dropped to her
knees in front of me. “I don’t know how you do it,” she said, her
eyes bright. “But I’m glad it works.” She gave me a hug as well and
ruffled my fur in a way that would be demeaning as a human, but
that as a wolf I actually enjoyed. I decided to take a chance and
sent her what I saw. She gasped and sat back quickly on her heels.
“He showed me,” she said, her voice higher than usual. “I saw what
he was looking at!”

“
Can I see?” Jaze asked.
When I nodded, he put a hand on my shoulder. I sent him my view of
the room. He dropped his hand and stared at me. “It really
works!”

The others crowded around me and I sent them
all the same image. I felt embarrassed by the sudden attention, but
glad they didn’t see me as an outcast. When each of them saw what I
sent, their responses were the same. They dropped their hands and
stared at me, a look of surprise and respect in their eyes.

“
That’s amazing,” Nikki
said.

“
Really neat,” Taye
agreed.

“
We’ve got to get you in a
girl’s locker room,” Brock said.

Jaze shoved his shoulder. “It doesn’t work
like that,” he said, rolling his eyes. “You’d have to be there with
him because it only seems to work on contact.”

“
It was just a thought,”
Brock replied, chagrined.

“
He’s red,” Cassie’s small
voice came from behind Jet. “Is that okay?”

“
Definitely,” Jet replied.
He knelt and pulled her to stand in front of him. She clung to his
shirt, her little hands white. “Hold out your hand. It’s just
Kaynan. He’s nice, remember?”

She held out her little fingers and I stuck
out my nose. She felt my muzzle, then giggled when I licked her
hand.

“
He’s cool,” Alex
exclaimed, leaving his dad’s side to put his face in my fur. His
breath tickled the rough guard hairs and sent a rush of warmth
through me at the trust of their parents.

“
Shall we join him?” Taye
asked.

Jet, Jaze, and Mouse phased quickly in the
spare bedroom and came back into the living room. The two Alphas’
black coats made them look more menacing than Mouse’s gray pelt.
Jet had a strange symbol that looked like a seven on his shoulder
in white fur. He caught me staring at it and held my gaze until I
looked away.

Taye and Grace returned a few minutes later.
Taye looked beautiful with her pure white coat and blue-gray eyes,
but Grace’s light gray fur and lithe body reminded me of our run
from the laboratories. She walked with her shoulder next to Taye’s
for guidance, her ears twitching back and forth as she blinked her
sightless blue eyes. I wanted to protect her from everything, to
keep her safe and sheltered; I settled for trotting to meet her and
leaning against her to show her what I saw. She sat next to me and
sighed, clearly enjoying being able to see again if only by
proxy.

“
Why don’t you guys go out
and enjoy the night?” Mr. Davies invited. “If the children phase,
we’ll call you back. Otherwise, Mrs. Carso, Nikki, and Brock have
offered to keep them company while we go for a run. Have fun and
we’ll catch up.” He gave Mrs. Carso a grateful smile.

Mrs. Davies opened the door and let us out,
telling us to be safe and to stay away from the cows. Grace gave a
snort of laughter that I echoed. Staying away from cows was
certainly something I had never been told before. Moonlight spilled
around us, putting to shame the puny lamp that stood near the
Davies’ front porch. I took a deep breath of the night air and the
scents of the country filled me with anticipation.

Jaze gave a bark of invitation and loped off
through an alfalfa field with Mouse close behind. We kept pace with
them but stayed behind. Grace’s paws fell in time with mine as
though we had run shoulder to shoulder our whole lives. It felt so
natural to have her next to me, and I felt a pang of longing for
Renee and the way we completed each other. We had been together
since our first class in high school; we knew each other’s secrets,
hopes, dreams, and fears, and we had planned to enroll in the same
college next year so that we could major together.

Thoughts of Renee’s blond hair and sparkling
blue eyes made my heart clench and my pace slowed. Grace slowed
with me until we were walking through long grass that reached
almost to our shoulders and waved gently in the midnight breeze.
Her expression matched the ache in my heart and I wondered if she
was thinking about Gabe.

I climbed a small rise and we sat and
watched the land below come alive with the moonlight. A brook
behind us danced with laugher as the water made its way over rocks
and under bridges. An owl asked its ageless question from a tree to
our right, while mice scurried through the underbrush in the hopes
of staying out of its sight. A fox barked and birds, startled from
sleep, rose into the air crying their outrage until they
disappeared into a new stand of trees.

The breeze tickled my fur; I closed my eyes
to fully feel the soft touch of moonlight along my back and
shoulders. I took a deep breath and held it, then let it out
slowly. Everything felt so new, so fresh and alive. Smells, my
vision, and sounds were crisp and crystal clear, as though I had
been walking around with blinders until the accident and never knew
it.

It felt as though the moonlight soaked
through my skin and muscles. The scent of the clean water in the
brook mixed with the green reeds that pulled at the breeze and made
it whistle. I glanced at Grace and the ache of Renee’s absence
faded when I saw Grace’s eyes close and face turn to the moonlight
as though she felt it as deeply as I did. She opened her eyes and
leaned back against me. I rose to continue our run when a howl
sounded.

My ears pricked at the joy and welcome of
the sound. A lighter voice joined it, and then two high-pitched
voices echoed the first. Grace gave a short yip of answer and we
loped down the hill at top speed. It amazed me how effortless it
was for us to run together now, how seamless my sight and Grace’s
pace matched. She truly lived up to her name in wolf form.

Taye met us near the house, her eyes bright
and tail wagging. She led us to the back field where two Alphas,
Jet and Mr. Davies, rolled around with a small dark gray cub and a
small light gray one. Mrs. Davies, now an elegant white wolf,
looked on proudly from the edge of the field. We joined them and I
could practically feel Grace’s excitement radiating from her. Her
paws danced as she sat and I could feel her longing to join the
twins in play.

Jaze and Mouse stopped near us and the twins
bounced over with all the enthusiasm of twenty puppies. They
tackled Grace, then pounced on me, no longer afraid of my red fur
and eyes. I nipped softly at their paws and they attacked with mock
growls of anger and tiny, needle-sharp teeth. Jet bounced in,
acting like a puppy himself, and saved me from his young
siblings.

We played tag and raced through the fields
until the early hours of the morning stole away the power of the
moon. I felt the need to be a wolf fade until we stayed in our wolf
forms out of choice. I was exhausted by the time we filed into the
house, but my heart still ran in the fields with Cassie and Alex
chasing me, and my soul soared with the freedom of the wolf.

I led Grace to the room and waited
courteously while she and Taye phased and changed into their
clothes. It was my turn to phase after them, but a reluctance to
take on my human form again ran so sharply through my body that it
was hard to push away the paws and the simplified animal thoughts
and take on my now-gangly feeling form and never-ending guilt. I
sighed and pulled on my clothes, tying shoes over feet that yearned
for long grass and soft earth.

“
Newly phased cubs have to
be the cutest things in the world,” Taye was exclaiming when I came
into the room.

“
They’re amazing,” Grace
agreed.

Mrs. Davies gave them both a warm smile.
“Thank you. We’re honored that you were here for it.”

Mrs. Carso came from the kitchen carrying a
plate of cookies. Brock and Nikki followed close behind with cups
of milk. “Eat up,” Mrs. Carso invited, offering a cookie to me
before setting the plate on the coffee table. “Phasing always makes
wolves hungry.”

I couldn’t argue against the answering pangs
in my stomach, and made sure Grace had a cup and a cookie before
devouring my own.

Jet entered the room in his human form
followed a few minutes later by Jaze and then Mouse. “They’re
perfect,” Jet said quietly.

Mr. Davies nodded. “I couldn’t be prouder of
all of my children.” He smiled at Jet and the werewolf dropped his
eyes, his cheeks touched with red.

Mrs. Davies handed him a cookie and he took
it without saying anything. Taye hooked her arm in his. “Where’s
Cassie and Alex?” she asked.

“
Fast asleep,” Mr. Davies
replied with a laugh. “They were pretty worn out.”

The Davies exchanged fond looks and I
couldn’t help but wonder how they made being werewolves look so
easy. The acceptance, understanding, and the way they embraced
being a family of werewolves felt so natural. I wondered if it
would ever feel the same way for me. My heart throbbed at the
thought of my family, of Renee, and of my sister.

Chapter 12

Jaze drove us home with the sunrise. The
Davies had invited everyone to stay longer, but Mrs. Carso felt it
would be better to give them their house back. It felt good to
return to Jaze’s. We walked through the door exhausted but
happy.

Mrs. Carso said she would call everyone in
sick for the day at school to give them some rest, then bid
everyone a goodnight and left to her room. Jaze walked Nikki home,
then went to bed himself. Taye gave Jet a light kiss on the cheek,
then excused both she and Grace. Grace accepted gladly, her
expression as tired and worn as I felt. I wanted to go to bed, but
my mind was still racing from the night. I settled on the couch,
and after a minute, Jet relaxed from his regular position leaning
by the door to take the armchair across from me.

I glanced at him. “You trust me?” I asked,
surprised.

He threw me an unreadable look. “I don’t get
you, but you’re not an Alpha, so I don’t have to fight the urge to
kill you.”

I tipped my head back on the couch,
unsettled by his answer. He gave a slight sigh. “Sorry. Can’t help
myself sometimes.”

I rubbed my forehead. “You don’t have to
apologize. My past isn’t exactly spotless.” Something occurred to
me and I turned to look at him. “I noticed your mom called you
Will, but everyone else calls you Jet.”

“
Is that a question?” he
asked, but his tone was reluctant as though he was stalling instead
of answering what I implied. At my nod, his eyes shifted to the
front door. He opened and closed his hands slowly. “I was kidnapped
when I was little and grew up in a fighting ring. I didn’t even
know my name was Will until I found my family again a few months
ago.” He frowned at the door, his eyes distant. “The killer inside
me only knows the name Jet. Until I can get past the urge to
destroy everything in my life, I can’t accept the name Will even
though I want to.” He met my eyes, daring me to judge him for his
past and what he was.

I met his gaze calmly though my heart
pounded with the trust he gave me. “I like Jet. It’s a good
name.”

Darkness swept through his eyes. “Will’s
better.”

I shrugged. “Perhaps someday, but I don’t
see anything wrong with Jet.”

He held my eyes for a moment, his own
narrow. Then a shadow of a smile touched his lips and he nodded. He
rose from the chair. “You’re good to have around.”

“
Why? Because people come
out of nowhere to attack me, putting everyone else in danger?” The
self-loathing in my tone surprised me, not that I felt it, but that
I let it show.

Jet gave a shrug similar to mine. “I like a
good reason to fight, it calms me down.” His dark blue eyes
lightened. “But it’s the way you help Grace. There’s something
special about her, like Taye. She’s innocent and doesn’t deserve
what was done to her.”

“
I can’t let them find
her,” I replied.

He nodded. “Everyone here will fight to keep
both of you safe.”

I sighed. “I just wish us being here didn't
put everyone else in danger.”

He gave another small smile, his eyes dark.
“Being a werewolf is dangerous.”

***

“
I think you bought more
than enough,” Nikki laughed, looking through the grocery bags of
black hair dye.

“
I wanted to be sure,” Mrs.
Carso said with an answering chuckle. “I’ve never dyed a wolf
before.”

“
Me either,” Taye agreed.
She pulled on a pair of plastic gloves and began sorting the
contents of each box.

Grace touched my shoulder. “Better go phase.
We have the appointment at Mr. Davies’ vet’s this afternoon and who
knows how long this’ll take.”

Jaze laughed at the look of dread on my
face. “Don’t worry,” he said, his expression sympathetic. “It’ll go
away tonight after you phase back.”