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"What’s that supposed to mean?" Elara asks, wondering if they should go ahead and get out of there. The whole restaurant is being marked off as a crime scene, and the police don't seem interested in questioning Kira any further.
"The face I saw was Kade, Elara," Kira says softly.
Elara shakes her head. She’d finished talking to him not long before she got the call from Kira. "I'm sorry, but that's impossible. Not unless he can be in two places at once. I was just with Kade. Nowhere near there."
"Could Kade have done some kind of magic to pull it off?" Kira asks, now frowning as she wipes at her cheek, leaving a smudge of bruised mascara.
It’s Elara’s turn to tense. Sure, Kade’s been suspicious in the past, with the stalking and turning her, but he carries those actions like a wound. He wouldn’t hurt Laith. It wouldn't do him any good to harm a fellow werewolf. That would go against everything he’s working toward.
"No, Kade would never do that. I refuse to believe he’d be any part of Laith's abduction. It must be the work of shifters. You know I've told you before that Denzel and the pack told me about them. They can change shapes. Not the same way that we can." Elara points to herself, referring to wolves. "They're the ones who've been causing all that chaos in town. And that ritual in the woods."
Kira’s gaze lets Elara know she’s still skeptical.
"They’ve escalated their work here. This is bigger than any of this.”
“All I know is Laith’s life is in danger,” Kira says, now starting to look angry.
Elara stumbles backward, bracing herself against the side of the building. It's her turn to be distraught. The only reason Laith’s in this danger at all is because he's a werewolf. And the only reason he's a werewolf is because Elara couldn't control her turning. She couldn't control herself as a wolf. She dragged Laith into this. It’s all her fault. It will always be her fault.
She never thought she would have related to Kade at all, but she's starting to see how he could have gotten himself into the mess he's in, having been responsible for so many deaths. She hates to admit it, but she’s made the same mistake.
"Look, prejudices don't matter right now,” Elara says, straightening. “Suspicions don't either. The point is, we need to find Laith fast."
Kira nods in agreement. "Except nobody has any leads. The van didn't have a license plate. So, there's no tracking that way. The only thing I can think of is to follow Kade. Maybe he'll lead us to wherever Laith is."
Elara doesn't like Kira’s obsession with Kade being the culprit, but they don't have time to fight. Laith needs to be found. So, Elara’s best solution is to call Kade. She can see why there's a trust problem. Kade might not be responsible for Laith, but he has been responsible for several lives.
"I can't let him get arrested for something he's had no hand in. Look, I'm just going to call him and ask him point blank. He's told me awful things he's done. He won't lie to me."
Elara bites her lip, pulling out her phone. He can't have gotten too far. Luckily, he picks up. "What is it, Elara?"
His voice is panicked. See, he's worried about her. It's a genuine tone. He can't feel that way about her and then having been involved with kidnapping a friend.
"Laith’s been kidnapped. I need to know if you had anything to do with it."
"Anything to do with it?" Kade takes offense to the suggestion so Elara explains exactly why they think it could be him—the fact Kira witnessed someone who looks exactly like him pushing Laith into a van.
Kade growls over the receiver. "This is trouble. You know that. But it also means they'll be coming for you next. I bet they're trying to determine who among us is worthy of Excalibur. We need to find it and fast."
Elara nods, understanding what he's saying. If everything he's told her is true, then that could be exactly what the shifters are after. They must have everything that's needed to figure it out. But what happens when they find that Laith isn’t the one? He'll be used as a means to their ends. They have to get to him quickly. But Elara doesn't know which to focus on first. Find Excalibur first or to follow what little trail there is of Laith.
She turns to Kira desperately, unsure which path they should choose or if they should split up. She hates the idea of leaving her friend undefended. Still, as they're running out of time Elara has to decide.
Which one comes first?
14
Kade
“Stop right there!” Guy barks, freezing Kade in his path.
Kade’s shoulders stiffen, but he stops obediently beside the car parked outside the lab. His phone is clenched so hard in his hands that he’s afraid it might break, and the forest all around them seems to blur as his vision tunnels. He can’t stop, he needs to get to Elara. He needs to protect her.
“This is not your place, Kade,” Guy growls, stalking forward. Kade suspects he never left. “We have our own mission!”
“Not my place?” Kade shouts, turning on the man who raised him all these years with true anger in his eyes. “My role in this prophecy has always been to protect her, Guy. Now you’re saying don't go? Now you're saying she doesn’t matter?”
“You’ve done your part, my son. The rest of it relies on the boy, the other part of the prophecy. She’ll find him, and he’ll do his duty as foretold.” Guy seems apologetic, he holds his hands out palm up as he steps toward Kade. He wraps him in his arms, hugging him close and squeezing him gently. “It’s time to let her go, to let fate take its course.”
