39. Escape

Chapter thirty-nine

Escape

*AZURITE*

I stay behind while Night and Junior dash off, unsure what to do and too scared to move. My peace doesn't last long because Junior comes dashing back. "Azurite," he bellows, "help search for the kid. She trusts you more than us."

I nod, crawling out of the bed and dressing again before following Junior. I roam the house with him, calling Opal's name and looking everywhere. I try to make it believable, whispering encouraging words and promising her no one would be mad and that I would protect her. Junior is clearly content with my performance because he gestures at me to continue.

My heartbeat picks up fearfully every time I hear footsteps. The front door opens and closes several times, and Night's voice echoes around. Junior and Sky are coming and going. The tension is so thick I'm scared someone will snap anytime.

I am still searching around on my knees in one of the empty rooms, looking in every wardrobe, when all four men come into the room. "Did you find her?" Night snarls at me.

I get up, brushing over my dress. "No," I whisper. "I'm sorry, Night"

"Fuck," Night curses before slapping me hard enough to send me flying. I drop to the ground, feeling blood drip down my nose. "Damn it!" He turns to Junior. "You forgot to lock the door!"

"No," Junior says with a surprising amount of confidence. "I'm sure I locked it."

Night grabs him by his neck, squeezing it. "Are you?" he hisses.

Junior just gurgles something, trying to nod his head.

"Check your keys," Night snarls towards them, grabbing his own key, that he wears around his neck together with a necklace with a blue stone in it. They all wear the same.

Junior usually carries his keys on his belt or in his pocket. He successfully pulls it out and shows it to Night. Meanwhile, PJ grabs his bag and goes through it, freezing in shock.

"What is it!?" Night hisses.

"I…" PJ retrieves a key but keeps looking for the other one. "I just have one bundle of keys. The second one is missing. It's Sky's."

I didn't even know that he had two sets of keys in his bag.

Night pinches the bridge of his nose. "Sky?"

"I didn't have the key on me, at all," Sky defends himself, edging away from Night. He still looks disheveled, and his nose looks crooked. "It was in PJ's bag."

"Wasn't one of you bringing her breakfast today?" Junior says, sounding fed up. "She must have stolen the keys then."

"But… no way," PJ mutters. "I never take my bag with me. I…" He looks towards me. "I bet it was that bitch."

Oh shit. I can't let it affect me, though. I don't mind if Night kills me, but I'm sure he wouldn't just kill me. He would torture me and do even worse things to me than he usually does. "I-I…" I whisper. My eyes are wide, my lips trembling. "But… why would I do that? And how?"

"She is always around us," PJ snarls. "She is not trustworthy."

Sky looks anxious. "She has access to everything, doesn't she?"

"And she got along well with that little kid."

Junior furrows his brows. "But she does with all the gems," he mutters. "We always send her to them. And if she brought the key to Opal, why didn't she run herself?"

Night turns to look at me.

"I belong here. I belong to Night," I whisper. "I'm Azurite."

Night turns back to PJ and Sky. "You think I wouldn't notice if my little gem here betrayed me!?" he hisses. "You think I don't notice you trying to deflect the blame?" He turns to Sky. "You fucked up twice today. First, you bring me that marked bitch, then you lose your keys."

He delivers a punch to the man, sending him to the ground. I don't know why they don't defend themselves against him. Maybe Night has a power I don't understand, so neither of them can fight him. He keeps kicking and stomping on Sky until the latter stops moving.

Then he turns to PJ, approaches him, and grabs his face between his hands. "You brought this guy here," he whispers.

"I apologize," PJ whispers. "I… he has connections. He is just reckless. I will—"

Night doesn't let him finish. He releases him, and lets his claws come out before ripping PJ into pieces. Blood splashes everywhere, sullying the floor and the walls, and Junior and Sky. Once Night is finished, he turns to Junior. "Clean up," he hisses. "And that fucker," he gestures towards Sky "is still breathing."

"You want me to end him?" Junior asks.

"No, you heard PJ. He is the one with the contacts."

Junior nods. "Yes, boss."

Night turns towards me. "Azurite," he says, walking towards me and pulling me up. "You were such a good girl."

I feel sick to my stomach. My whole body is still trembling. I follow Night, almost scared he will take me back to his room, but instead, he leads me to my favorite place, to the small library. He lets me slip inside before grabbing my chin and tilting my head up. He kisses me. "A reward for my most beautiful possession."

I wait for him to close the door before dropping to the floor. I pull my legs up, wrapping my arms around them, and rock back and forth as if it will keep me safe. Please be safe Opal. Please be safe.

Night mentioned my mom today and that he might have known her, or rather that his father knew her. Is this how Night found me? At the very back of my mind, I remember him from my life before, but not as a dangerous person. He was just a visitor to where I lived.

Did he look for me back then?

I'm so exhausted. Night killed two people today, right in front of me, and he almost killed a third. He took what he wanted from my body. I wish I had more fighting spirit. I wish I were stronger.

But all I can do is sit here and hope he won't kill me. Though deep inside, I'm beginning to hope the opposite, that he finally ends my sad existence. I am not even certain about my real name anymore; it constantly slips from my mind. Before I become truly Night's possession, without a soul and a will of my own, I'd rather end up dead.

*ARDEN*

Aurelia jumps up to gather all our stuff, preparing for us to leave while I call Eric. "What happened?" I blurt out the moment he picks up the phone without greeting him.

"We… one of the victims," Eric says breathless. "One of my contacts from the police called me, because he recognized her from the list we gave him."

"Another body?" I whisper.

"No! It's Annette, and she is alive."

His words shock me more than anything else. Not even in my wildest dreams had I expected him to say we would find one of our victims. "She… she managed to run away?"

"Yes," Eric says. "Arden, she is completely in shock. My contact from the police coincidentally found her while she was hiding in the back of a truck. We are so lucky! He knows she is a werewolf and instantly called me."

"Where is she now?"

"She was brought to one of our very close lycan packs." He tells me the exact pack name and coordinates, making me pause. "That's not too far from where Aurelia and I are at the moment. I'm heading there ASAP… but wait… I don't have anything with me."

"Arden," Aurelia interrupts me. "You just run ahead in your lycan form, take your bag with you. I will return to the Council, grab a car, and then meet you there."

Eric, who has easily heard Aurelia's suggestion, agrees with her. "That's a good idea, Arden."

"I'll run there immediately," I tell him. "It should take me an hour maximum."

"I will probably take the same time to return to the Council," Aurelia tells me.

"Did you hear that, Eric?"

"Yes, I'll call the pack and tell them you are coming so they expect you. Then, I'll wait for Aurelia and will drive over with her," Eric says. "I will take Valerie with me. We might need her healing powers."

"Is Annette hurt?" I ask carefully. "What do I need to expect?"

"From what my friend told me, she has some scratches and bruises. She wasn't sexually assaulted, though," Eric says. "But she is terrified and in shock. Make sure to be gentle and patient."

"Of course," I promise.

I hang up, turning to Aurelia. My heart is beating so fast I'm scared it will jump out of my chest. "They… Annette… she is…"

"Yes." Aurelia approaches me to hug me. "She is alive. And now we have a chance to find the others."

"She is alive," I mutter. "This is why they canceled the auction! It's a miracle. We need to act fast now. Once they notice Annette is missing for real, they might get rid of their other victims or go into hiding, but this is our chance, finally!" I feel my body tense up in anxiety.

"You've got this, Arden," Aurelia reassures me. "You know this case better than anyone. Annette is alive. She managed to escape. She is traumatized, but we'll make sure she gets help. And she can tell us about Meg and the kidnappers. We need to keep our nerve."

"You are right." I take a few shaky breaths. I can't freak out now. I need to keep my cool. I'm only useful as long as I keep a cool head and allow my mind to work. Annette is alive. She escaped, and I'm sure whatever she has to tell us will be helpful.

We are one step closer to Meg. One step closer to Denis. One step towards Juliet and all the other victims they might still have at their mercy.