Anger of the Devil

12. The pain of freedom

    "We don’t know yet. This is all we know for now.”

Kendrick’s words played in her head as Lena was looking at the card in her hand while tears fell freely on her cheeks. 

    *Happy birthday, Lena. Twenty-one years of knowing you have nothing on the hundred years to come. Hope you like the gift. Yours, Jake.*

She then picked up the gigantic, pink brooch that he had given her. It had a horrible picture of herself and Jake printed on it and it was the ugliest accessory Lena had ever seen, yet she couldn’t help holding it tight to her chest as she started to sob loudly. 

Fenris had caught them. Joshua Fenris and Dominique Dugrey had captured them, imprisoned them, and... Lena couldn’t finish the thought as she looked at her watch. She was supposed to meet Nadia in less than five minutes. The thought of seeing Nadia was heartbreaking. She hadn’t told her about Nathan and Jake, and she knew that Nadia would hate her for not telling her the minute she found out. However, Lena didn’t see any other option than to not tell her. She needed Nadia to help Cody earlier, and now she needed her to help her with Logan. If Nadia knew, she wouldn’t be able to go through with the task at hand. Lena scrunched her face together as she indulged herself to cry one last time before she got up, dried her face, and walked outside. 

Nadia was already standing outside the building when Lena arrived. As sad as Lena felt on the inside, as happy did Nadia seem as she almost ran up to her. Lena didn’t understand what was happening as Nadia started to speak. 

    “I found something! Or actually, Cody found something and then I found something that made sense in collaboration with what Cody found. Nevermind, look.”

Lena had barely comprehended what Nadia had said before Nadia shoved a note up into Lena’s face. She stepped back and read the note. 

    “I don’t get it?”

Nadia took the note as she still smiled widely. 

    “It’s a note from Anders. It’s the name of someone who can help us.”

Lena started to understand and forced herself to smile even if she had a hard time finding happiness in anything at that moment. 

    “Great.”

Nadia stopped smiling as she took the note away entirely.  

    “It is great. It’s the first clue we’ve gotten since the fight. I thought you would be more glad to see this?”

Lena closed her eyes as she smiled a little more, but she still couldn’t find the joy that this should give her. 

    “You’re right, it’s really great. I’m sorry, Nadia, it has been a weird day and the prospect of what we’re about to do is not really making me any calmer. But I’m glad we have a clue. Really.”

It was a lie. Though the thought of seeing Logan again in less than twenty hours wasn’t easy, she had pushed away the thought when she had heard about Jake and Nathan. Nadia suddenly looked guilty as she started to fidget while looking at the building. 

    “I’m sorry, I didn’t think. We can talk about it tomorrow. Are you ready to do this?”

Lena took in a deep breath as she looked at the building behind Nadia. 

    “Yes. Let’s get this over with.”

Lena stepped forward and placed the key card on the scanner as she had done earlier. She knew that the guards would be away for around thirty minutes until they would come for a check, so they didn’t have an endless amount of time. 

Where the wolf-like creatures had been more or less sedated earlier, it wasn’t the case now. A loud bang was heard the moment Lena and Nadia entered. Lena was surprised, but Nadia almost jumped into the wall. 

    “It’s okay, they can’t harm you. They can’t even see you, they’ve just heard us enter.”

Lena walked up to the panel and pushed a button that let out a gas to the cells of the creatures. They soon started to relax and grew less aggressive. 

    “There, that should make them less likely to kill themselves in the process of trying to get out.”

Nadia’s eyes were wide as she nodded while still looking at the creatures.

    “So… are one of these Logan?”

Lena furrowed her brows as she looked at Nadia. 

    “No. I wish.”

Lena then calmly walked towards the second scanner and placed the key card on it. The door opened and she stepped inside. Logan stirred from his seating position, but he didn’t get to say anything before Lena had pushed the button that stopped the blinding effect on his side of the glass. Lena could see Logan’s head churning as he tried to understand what was happening, although the smug look on his face stayed on. She then turned to look at Nadia. 

    “I’ll have to let the wolfsbane spread throughout the room. When I do so, he’ll be sedated and can’t change. However, I’ll be affected as well and it will hit me even harder since I’m smaller and less powerful meaning I’ll have no way of helping you if things go awry. Are you sure you’re still up for this?”

Lena could see the fear in Nadia’s eyes, but Nadia still nodded. 

    “Yes.”

    “What is it that she’s still up for, my love?”

Lena didn’t look at Logan as she answered. 

    “Freeing you. Or at least the part of you that is worth freeing.”

Logan started to laugh and the sound irritated Lena so much that she turned to look at him even if she knew it was a bad idea. He gently leaned on the glass as his eyes gleamed with a mischievous grin. She felt the knots in her stomach tighten as she looked into his eyes that held no love in them. 

    “You expect that small wimp of a girl to match the powers of an order that has practiced magic for seventeen-hundred years? It’s a wonder how your naive stupidity still manages to surprise me. At least you’re pretty.”

Lena looked at Logan without flinching. Then, without breaking eye contact, she pushed the button that sent the wolfsbane gas into Logan’s cell. 

    “I’ll open in five seconds, Nadia, so be prepared.”

Lena kept her eyes on Logan as she spoke. He didn’t change much, but a few unbalanced steps told the tale; the wolfsbane was working. Lena’s heart was beating hard and fast as she counted down in her mind. Five… four… three… two… one…

The glass glided to the side and wolfsbane filled the room. Lena could feel the effect instantly as it found its way to her lungs, yet she managed to keep herself focused. 

    “Nadia, now!”

Nadia started to chant as the air in the room started to shift. Lena kept her eyes on Logan who still looked surprisingly calm. Then a smirk appeared in the corner of his mouth.

    “I heard something interesting today when Neil came by. Apparently both of your sweethearts were captured by Fenris. So young… My condolences.”

Lena’s eyes got wide. The dry sarcasm in Logan’s voice was thick, but the tone of his voice was not her main concern.

    “What?”

Nadia’s thin voice was filled with shock and pain as the air stopped moving. Lena turned in desperation as she pleaded. 

    “Nadia, you can’t stop. We need to finish this.”

Nadia’s eyes were big and shining with tears. 

    “What has happened? Is Nathan okay?”

Her voice had gotten higher and more shrill. Lena could feel the wolfsbane working fast as she tried to calm herself and Nadia down. 

    “It’s okay, Nadia. It’ll be okay. Please…”

    “Answer me!”

An enormous force broke the air as Nadia’s eyes almost started to shine. The impact of the force made Lena trip and she soon hit the floor. She quickly started to rise, but her body was weakened so much that it was a struggle. 

    “We don’t know what has happened yet.”

Lena tried to walk towards Nadia as she begged her to focus with her eyes. However, she had just gotten her footing back when she felt an arm jam her backwards. The massive arm squeezed her so tight around her chest that she felt as if she was about to pass out. 

    “Don’t lie, Lena. It’s not polite to lie. Nadia is entitled to know that one of them is dead.”

Logan had spoken so close to her ear that it gave her an involuntary shiver through her body. She then felt his hand squeeze her breast as his face moved to the crook of her neck. He breathed in and groaned. 

    “Mmm, I’ve missed this.”

He then squeezed so hard that the pain made her whine. Lena could feel the tears on her cheeks as she looked at Nadia once more. Nadia’s cheeks were also streaked with tears.

    “I’m so sorry.”

The words were but a mere whisper, but the earnestness in them were apparent. Suddenly a red light started to flash as even more wolfsbane started to pour out from the nozzles in the ceiling, and as the room grew thick with fog, Lena’s mind grew dark.