Operation Cobra (Book Two of The Savior Fables)

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Heart of Darkness

Mary Margaret hires Mr. Gold as her attorney when she is arrested for the suspected murder of Kathryn, and Emma and Newt hope to prove her innocence.

***

Ruby slowly came to in the morning and winced when she got sunlight in her face, and she groaned, turning her head and burying her nose in the pillow under her head. "What time is it?" she grumbled.

"The sun hasn't been up very long," an accented voice answered. "But it's been long enough."

The voice pierced through any fogginess that lingered in Ruby's head from the night before, and she scrambled to sit up on the pile of blankets Newt had left for them. "Remus!" she gasped in relief.

The wizard stood leaning against one of the trees nearby, exhaustion etched in the lines of his face and evident in the shadows under his eyes. Still, his smile was genuine as Ruby's excitement woke Victor from slumber. "You stayed the entire night," he said.

Ruby swallowed hard. "You remember?"

"I took the Wolfsbane Potion diligently," Remus nodded, pushing off the tree and approaching his friends. He winced as he joined them on the blankets, and he held up his hand when Victor straightened in concern. "It's normal after the full moon. It'll pass."

Victor scowled. "That doesn't mean I have to like you hurting."

"I suppose not," Remus conceded with a sigh. "But it's just another part of my condition that I've grown used to." He watched Ruby and Victor's faces darken and shook his head with a chuckle. "You still aren't running."

"Running?" Ruby repeated, her voice rising in pitch. "You seriously think we would run on you? I thought you were smart, Remus!"

"I'm a werewolf, Ruby," Remus reminded her.

Ruby scoffed. "Yes, I didn't forget you curling up on my legs last night and purring."

Victor bit his lip to keep from smirking as Remus's cheeks flushed. Score for Ruby. "Remus, we didn't run last night when we practically bullied Newt and Lucius into bringing us here," he said. "We're sure as hell not going to run now. Why would we?"

"Besides, Newt made it clear he would've intervened if anything happened," Ruby added, folding her arms and leveling an unimpressed look at Remus. "Face it. You're stuck with us, you dumbass."

Remus gave them an inscrutable look, then he finally chuckled. "I suppose there are worse people to be stuck with."

Victor snorted. "Our lovely mayor and the town pawnbroker, for example."

Remus wrinkled his nose. "Let's not go there."

"Speaking of others, though," Ruby frowned, twisting to look around the clearing. "Where is Newt?"

"Ah," Remus winced. "About that . . . "

***

Mary Margaret flinched as the camera flashed in front of her, and Emma smiled apologetically. "Please turn to the right."

Mary Margaret did so then threw her arms up in frustration after the picture was taken. "Emma, this is a mistake. I didn't kill Kathryn!"

"Of course, you didn't," Emma agreed. "But while I am your friend, I am also the sheriff, and I have to go where the evidence leads."

Mary Margaret sighed helplessly. "Which points to me? Emma, yesterday, it was David. There's something not right here!"

"I know," Emma nodded, her frustration mirroring Mary Margaret's. "But your fingerprints were on that box, and his are not. And so now we have to deal with . . . " She stared at the headshots in her hand and waved them helplessly. "This."