Chapter 424 Chapter 424
Alarms were going off in Noah’s head, and his cat was furious. He had to cross his arms over his chest and focus hard to stand there and not move.
Blair dropped his head down; his sigh was audible. When he looked back up, his expression had changed to something softer, “where’s your mother?” He barely whispered it.
Akira lifted her face away from Emersyn, “I don’t know. I haven’t seen her since I was little.”
Noah’s knees decided he didn’t need to stand any longer. He dropped down into a very ungraceful squat. Her mother was from one of the houses. Emersyn’s gaze connected with his own, she knew as well that this girl would never see her mother. She gave him a look, that made it feel like his chest was going to split wide open. It was like she believed in him, that he could fix this. When she looked away and leaned back so Akira would look at her, Noah almost slumped to the ground in relief.
“He’s dead.” Emersyn said in a flat tone, then looked at Blair, “Blair killed him.” Her look softened, “you’ll never have to see him again.”
“For real?” She glared at Blair until he nodded. Just like that all the hostility and anger drained away and the girl collapsed in Emersyn’s arms, sobbing.
Blair swore and stood up, pacing away. Kobie spun on her heel and went in the other direction.
Shaelan hurried over and knelt at the bottom step. “Let’s go inside and you can take a hot shower and eat some more.” She touched her back in a soothing stroke.
Noah could barely breathe. It was never going to end. The living nightmare of finding the victims that were a result of what Tomas had been allowed to get away with for too long. He stood up and moved in the first direction he could which took him away from the others. He couldn’t be near anyone right now. It wasn’t safe for him to be near anyone right now. How many children were out there being grown for this sick purpose? How many mothers had been taken from their children? He’d done nothing. He’d watched it happening for years and done nothing to stop it. He may as well have locked the doors himself. His stomach started rolling, he felt ill. Sweat soaked his shirt as he hunched over, leaning on his knees.
He could taste the bile in his throat and grit his teeth, sucking air in through his nose, trying not to throw up. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to think of something—anything other than the girls. So many of them, barely out of their teens, throwing their animal scents. If they’d just shifted earlier, just once it would have saved them. He could hear them crying, confused, not understanding what they did to end up in one of those houses. Through it all, he’d done nothing, turned a blind eye to their suffering, and watched that none got away. He was as bad as Tomas for doing that.
Opening his eyes, he gasped and then stood there hunched over breathing with his mouth wide open. He wasn’t there now. He would never be there again. He stared into the field, he was outside, not back there. He was free now, free to find all of them and end it.
“Noah.”
He straightened and turned ready to attack. Blair stood a few feet from him, his hands in the air. He hadn’t even sensed him coming over.
“You good?”
Noah nodded, swallowing more bile down. He wiped his hand across his forehead which was streaked with sweat.
“Because you don’t look good.” Blair lowered his hands slowly.
“Shock.” He tried to swallow, but his throat felt like it was closed off.
Blair gave him a wide-eyed look, “I’m feeling my own shock right now.”
Noah looked at him, really looked at him, he wasn’t lying. Akira was the second niece he’d found out about in a short time. “I wasn’t there,” he whispered and forced another swallow. “I never saw Lindon before-before you killed him.”
“Hey,” Blair tilted his head, a cautious look on his face, “you know I’m not blaming you, right?” His face scrunched up and Noah couldn’t think past his body rebelling to figure out what it meant.
Noah knew he was panting now as if he’d just run a mile, but he had to let his body work through it. A process that felt so natural to him now, was the sweating, forcing air inside, trying to keep the contents of his stomach on the inside. “I didn’t stop it.”
“Fuck that.” Blair glared at him, “like you had a choice.” Blair’s hand waved in the air, “you were in pieces when you came here, a fucking ghost.” He made a low rumbling sound in his chest, “Jesse said the collar on your neck was practically embedded in your flesh when they found you,” he gave him a hard look, “how the hell were you supposed to stop anything like that?”
Noah shook his head, anger coursing through him now, for Blair to forgive him so easily. “I didn’t do anything.”
“The hell you didn’t.” Blair grimaced, “you survived, and now—” he pointed a finger at him, “now you are. Your intel got us in the door, my friend and we’re running with it,” he nodded, “we’ll find them all and end it.”
Noah spun and paced away, then turned back and retraced his steps back to him, “I should have done more,” the growl that came out with his words wasn’t just determined enunciation, his cat was close. Too close. He stepped backward, trying to slow the adrenalin that he hadn’t realized was bubbling through him.
“Noah.”
He snapped his head to see Emersyn walking toward him. She was still wrapped in a blanket and looked too pale. He shook his head and wanted to tell her to get away from him, to run and lock herself in the house. His teeth were sharper, preventing him from speaking. She just kept moving toward him. He looked at Blair, hoping he was going to save her, would usher her away from him, but he just stood there watching her come closer.
“Noah.”
The way she said his name made his cat pause, alert, scenting her to see if she was all right.
“I’m so scared,” she whispered.
Of course, she was, he was scaring her. He sucked in a breath, trying to find the right thing to say.
He didn’t care if he sliced his oven tongue off when he spoke. He blinked; his vision kept shifting from his own to his animals. She was right in front of him now. Clenching his jaw, he held his arms at his side, his hands balled into a fist, he could feel the sting on his palms from sharp claws cutting into his flesh.
When she placed her hand on his chest, he held his breath. She shouldn’t touch him. Shouldn’t want to touch him.
“That poor child,” she looked up at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, “it’s awful.” She sucked in a shaky breath, “what if—” a tear rolled down her cheek, “Aspyn...”
Noah wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. He growled low. Nothing would happen to her daughter. Nothing. He would make sure of it. Lifting his head, he saw Blair looking at them. Hugging her tight, probably too tight, he spun them both, so his back was to Blair, sheltering her in his arms.