Blue Roses

Chapter forty eight

Chapter song~ Welcome by Asking Alexandria

Ash pov

Feeling more exhausted than ever, I get up out of bed and make my way slowly to the room next to mine. I don't bother to go inside, but just lean against the doorway observing. Watching how her chest rises and falls slower than ever, how transparent her skin is, how small and frail she looks. My fault, its all my fault. She was so close, yet so far away.

I shake my head and tear my eyes away, stumbling up the stairs to the outside world. The sunlight blinds me momentarily, and I shield my eyes with my hand. In that moment, something blows past my head and I move just in time for it to embed itself in the wall behind me. I scan the woods for any signs of movement but find none. Turning, I find oddly enough an arrow with a note tied to it dangling from the side of my house.

I remove it from the wall and tear at the wax seal, representing the mark of the hunters, of the paper. It crumbles, unfolding and revealing the message inside.

"Top of the waterfall at noon,
Mark."

I crumble the note in my fist instantly infuriated. How dare he demand anything from me, or her. I pull out my phone to check the time, and seeing Jades healthy smiling face leaves me with a pang in my heart. 11:45. I could make it there by noon, see what this asshole wanted. I wasn't leaving without answers, even if that meant beating him until he gave me what I wanted. In the second it takes for the letter to drift to the ground, I was already in wolf form and had taken off into the woods. I tore through the trees leaving large footprints behind in the soft dirt. Small animals scurry out of my way filled with terror as I plow through the brush and leave slashing claw marks on trees. I dig up one of my bags full of clothes places around the woods for emergencies, and quickly get dressed. I run the rest of the way and climb up the side of the waterfall with ease not breaking a sweat. Going over the edge, I see a figure in the shade slumped against a tree with a bag beside his foot. I kick the foot closest to me and receive a grunt in response.

"About time, I've been waiting."

I grab the front of his shirt and haul him to his feet, shoving him against the tree. My anger lessons a little when I see the shape he's in. Black eyes, broken nose, bruised jaw, bleeding temple, one arm broken the other dislocated and covered in oozing slash marks, and wheezing breath, and thats just what I could see. I ease my grip and let his feet touch the ground again. One bends uselessly and he puts all his weight on the other. I keep a hand wrapped around his shirt just in case he tried anything but I doubt he would.

"What the hell happened to you? Why did you ask me here?"

"Hunters happened, I failed my mission, I got thrown out, beat and left for dead. And as for you, I needed to meet you because before I was thrown out, I got all the information they had on Jade. I didn't know they had all this otherwise I would have taken it a long time ago. I haven't read through all of it yet but what I have read is pretty significant and she needs to read it asap, do you know where she is?"

"Um, yeah I do but we'll get to her in a minute. What kind of information is in those files?"

"Things she needs to know, not you."

"Don't play games with me boy, in the shape your in I could snap your neck in a second before you could bat an eye."

He shoots me a hateful look before gesturing to the bag on the ground beside him,

"Take a look for yourself."

I release him and let him crumple to the ground with a heavy thud followed by a soft groan of pain. I keep my eyes trained on him as I crouch and begin to search the bag; I find it filled to the brim with files and photos, all of Jade, all marked black and red with the words PRIVATE and TOP SECRET across the covers of manila folders. I dig to the bottom and find thick packets of written observations and commentary, I briefly skim them and realize they had been watching her for a very, very long time. I stand and stalk off a few paces grinding my jaw and running a hand through my hair in frustration. I shoot Mark a hard look and hold his pained and feverish gaze for a few moments before dropping my head in my hands.