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."

Elara frantically shakes her head. "Please, I can't just leave him like that. Besides, how else are we going to get Excalibur and save Laith?"

Jordyn nods. "I don't like it, Kira, but she's right. This is about Laith right now. You can have whatever opinion you want of Kade, but he's useful to us. I don't think we're going to figure this out on our own."

Kira crosses her arms over her chest defiantly. "It's a bad idea. I won't be a party to getting that beast out of jail. I'm sorry, but this is wrong."

With a hot glare, Kira spins and walks away, her help no longer a possibility.

Elara's ready to punch a tree and probably deal with bloody knuckles or even broken ones. How could Kira just turn her back on this?

"What about you?" she asks Jordyn in as calm a tone as she can muster. "You can leave too if you want, but I'm getting him out… somehow." Elara trails off, surveying the police station again. Magic she barely knows, and a fledgling wolf hardly stands a chance against that many officers of the law. They need a sneakier or more efficient way to get inside.

"Well, the fastest way to get him out legally would be to prove that he's innocent," Jordyn says, pulling out her phone as if it's a lifeline for Kade. "I know someone, a hacker. Maybe she can get into the GPS signals coming from Kade's phone if you have his number. If we can prove he was nowhere near Laith beyond a reasonable doubt, then they'll drop the case against him."

"They have him for more than just Laith, but that's a start."

"Well, maybe we can even see what evidence they have in the other cases. Maybe we can discredit it in some way or ruin it?"

Intrigued, Elara asks, "And who would do that kind of thing for us?"

"A hacker, of course, and I just happen to know an excellent one." Before Elara can answer, Jordyn dials a number and puts her phone to her ear before rattling off just enough information to someone over the phone.

"You know a hacker?" Elara asks when she hangs up.

"Yeah, a girl named Rachel. She's pretty awesome. She's sure she can get us what we need. If we prove that he's at least reasonably innocent, they can't hold him forever."

"Isn't it like three days, though?" Elara asks, not liking the sound of waiting that long to help Laith. He could be hurt or dead by then.

Except what choice does she have?

"It's three days that they can hold him, but a small jail like this…" Jordyn points to it across the street. No one has noticed a couple of women peeking out at the police station from inside the woods yet. "I doubt they're going to do that. They need to make room for the real criminals they actually have solid evidence on."

Elara sighs and smiles at her friend. "Thank you for sticking around to help. I know it's not an easy decision after what he's done."

Jordyn puts her hand up. "I know I was reluctant at first with all of this supernatural stuff. I'm still getting used to it, but I trust you. If you say Kade's worth saving and that he can get Laith back, then that's what matters."

Elara feels a warmth spread over her at that. She hopes Kira won't stay mad at her forever and wonders if some of it could stem from the fact that yet again Laith's worries keep landing on Elara rather than Kira. She hates that she keeps getting in the middle of them, but she can't change how people feel. If she could, the world would be looking a lot more hopeful right now. Kira would be here, helping them.

"Elara," Jordyn exclaims, looking down at a notification on her phone. "Look."

Elara joins her and leans over to see what's been sent by Rachel. She places her hand over her mouth, her heart skipping a beat. For a moment, as she goes over the GPS pings, she begins to doubt Kade once more.

The GPS places Kade at the time and location of Laith's abduction. Only minutes after she left the lab.

A rush of anger rolls over her, but then she remembers the power and influence the shifters have. What if they can duplicate electronics too? Or they have someone who can hack the GPS signal. It's all possible. Kade can't be the one responsible.

"I'm telling you; he can't have done it. Why would I lie? I care about Laith, too."

Jordyn debates for a moment, tucking her phone away. "Conspiracies have been running through this town for a few years now. I don't think it's far-fetched that someone's tampered with the information, especially as easily as someone like Rachel can get a hold of. The problem is the only option we have left is to somehow actually break him out and risk being arrested ourselves."

"I won't ask you to do this with me," Elara says, knowing there's no other way forward. Knowing she needs the help. She isn't leaving Kade to rot behind bars, especially with the shifters on the loose, looking for evolved wolves and Excalibur.

"What if you get the pack to help?" Jordyn asks. "It would save us the trouble. No offense, but we're only two women."

"No offense taken."

Elara dials Denzel immediately to tell him everything she knows. She may be an ‘abomination' they're unsure of, but surely they'll help Laith…

Elara wringsher hands nervously as Denzel walks into the station to talk with the police. Jordyn"s hacker friend came in handy once more.

Elara convinced Denzel to help get Kade so he could grill him about the evolved wolves and whether it can be done to those other than the ones with bloodlines. That way, they could use it to their advantage against the shifters.

The idea makes Elara shiver, but it's the best she could come up with to get Denzel to cooperate after she explained the Arthurian legends and exactly what she is. She'd been afraid he wouldn't accept her at all after that, but he agreed, almost sounding intrigued.

Elara knows it means she'll end up being used like a weapon or toy, but that's better than dead.

Now, Rachel's created documents stating Denzel is Kade's legal guardian, an older half-brother through a past relationship between Kade's mother and another man. It means he can be released under guardianship. He might end up with an ankle monitor or something, but it's a start.

Elara's heart pounds, thinking of how hopeless Kade must feel in there and what he thinks of her. If he's waiting on her to get him out or if he assumes she's moved on with the quest and left him there.

She's torn between the idea of hugging him when she sees him and shaking him, grilling him for more information, including his fight with Laith. Maybe one day there will be a time where there's no secrets between them.

After what seems like hours, , as deep darkness settles in through the woods and draws Jordyn closer to her, Elara spots Kade and Denzel walking out of the precinct. The two make as if going toward the parking lot and then swing around the side and take the long way over into the woods a few yards away. Elara turns her body instinctually in the direction they'll be coming from.

Denzel promised her she'll get to ask Kade questions before he says or does anything. She's hoping he'll reveal enough that Denzel and the pack will be gentler with him. He'll never be a friend to them, but at least he can be a temporary ally if they play their cards right.

Elara tries to control her reaction to seeing Kade, but his blue eyes catch hers, alight with a hope they didn't have when he was being taken away from her.

Her heart stutters. Soars. Sings.

It nearly makes her cry.

She swallows a lump in her throat as Denzel gives him some kind of warning in his ear before letting go of his shoulder.

"They released him to me pending a hearing. He can't leave the city," Denzel explains.

Elara nods, figuring as much. "Kade, they think you took Laith," she hisses, begging for him to be innocent of this. "We found out they have evidence with GPS tracking that you were there when he was taken. Please, tell me you didn't do this."

It would be too far, and she could never forgive him.

And yet, she'd be heartbroken.