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Another reason he’s not calling Guy. Who knows what the man who’s been a father to him is going to think. Or do.
So Kade gets booked, his fingerprints permanently in the system, and they explain what he’s being charged with.
Kidnapping, assault, conspiracy to commit a crime, conspiracy to cover up a murder, tampering with evidence. The list goes on, but thus far, nothing directly links him to committing the murders, though it’s clear the cops all believe he did it. They look at him as if their glares can incinerate him in a plume of smoke.
They throw him into a cell alone, his hands now cuffed in front instead of behind. He grips the bars uselessly, thinking of Elara.
How is he going to protect her now?
17
Elara
Elara knows Kade’s responsible for many of the things the police are accusing him of, but that doesn’t change her shock and dismay as she watches him be taken away. She came to the woods to talk. To find out whether she can trust her heart.
To see if he’d help find Laith.
She bites her lip as she watches the police cars drive away, not knowing what to do next. Laith has been gone a few hours now, and time is ticking. Whether they get Excalibur to hand over to the shifters or to use against them, they have to find it to keep Laith safe. But now she can’t even talk to Kade without police interference, assuming they’d even let her into the jail to begin with.
And what happens to Kade if he’s convicted for all of those murders? Yes, he shouldn’t have done it, but he’s just as much a pawn as she is in some grand game that dates back centuries. Something tells Elara that Kade’s remorseful for what he’s done. The way his face looked. He was so scared, but he was still worrying about her.
Kade’s not a bad guy, just a desperate one, and now he could be locked away forever. Or worse, depending on exactly what they pin him with.
Elara picks up her phone and texts Jordyn, Kira, and Denzel. All three of them need to know what’s happened, and she needs her friends right now to work this out. Breaking into a run, she sticks to the western tree line, following it toward the police precinct where the county jail attaches at the back. That’s where they’ll take Kade, at least until charges are laid. After that, she can’t imagine where he might end up.
She injects all her focus into going as fast as she can. Trees become a blur. Smells blend into one another. Her supernatural skills are once far more than she could have ever imagined, but there’s no time to appreciate, or even worry about them.
She has to get to the precinct.
Her fast speed gets her there just in time to see the back of Kade’s head as they lead him up the steps. The sight of so many police escorting him has her feeling a sense of impending doom. She catches herself as a whimper climbs up her throat, not wanting to alert anyone to her presence.
Once Kade’s taken inside, Elara paces back and forth, feeling trapped. She needs to get him out of jail. There’s no other way forward now. He’s the only link they have to Excalibur. She doesn’t even know for sure which bloodline she descends from, much less how to find shifters or a magical ancient sword that used to be locked up in Rome under a cathedral.
“Elara?” Jordyn's voice pulls her out of my thoughts. Jordyn’s only a few feet away, Kira coming up behind her.
“So, what did Kade say?” Kira asks darkly, narrowing her eyes at Elara.
Elara tenses, not sure how to bring up what they need to do if Kira still has an attitude about him. “He’s been arrested. That’s why I’m here. I followed to see…” Elara shakes her head, not knowing exactly what she expected to do.
“So, what now?” Jordyn’s eyes dart between Elara and Kira, once more registering the tension between them.
“Kade should never have got himself arrested,” Kira spits.
Elara throws her hands in the air, not knowing how to stop the bickering. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is he’s the one we need right now if we’re going to save Laith.”
Kira shakes her head. “They probably got him for what he did to Laith. You can’t convince me he doesn’t have some part to play in this. Laith told me they fought about you.” Kira looks down and blushes while Elara’s left speechless. They fight about her? That’s the last thing she wants.
“What’s he done, Elara? Why did they arrest him?” Jordyn asks.
Elara’s been afraid of that question, forcing her to tell the gory truth about everything Kade is responsible for.
“The animal attacks.” Elara can’t bring herself to say more, but she hopes her friends understand.
It takes them a moment, but then Jordyn gasps. “You mean he’s the wolf who’s been doing it?”
Elara nods, guilt pouring through her at revealing this dark side of Kade without his presence or permission. But her friends won’t help if they don’t understand who they’re putting themselves in danger for. “He didn’t have a choice and had no idea all those people would die in transition,” Elara defends, though even she knows it’s little consolation to the grieving families of Mercy City.
“How can we forgive him and let him out? He’s in jail for what he’s done, and that’s justice,” Kira says, her fists balled up beside her. “That’s where he should be.”
