Angel grunted hard and went to stand at the beginning of the pathway, watching Nadia run to him. And just when Wolfe was about to pounce on her, he leapt up to grab the cell rods to his right, scaled forward and landed in front of Wolfe. The other Were collided with him and in reflex, buried his claws in the same side, Angel was stabbed. Angel let out a loud, pain-filled cry and half-shifted instantly. He snarled at the other Were, baring his teeth, menacingly before grabbing Wolfe by the throat to pin him hard to the side iron bars.
"I don't give a fuck about the kind of madness that's going on in your head, look at her and look at her well. If you hurt a hair on her head, I will take the pleasure of tearing you apart limb for limb before emptying your gut! Do you understand me, Wolfe?!" he snarled close to the other Were's face.
"She is one of them! They killed my mate!" he snarled back with an effort.
"I am not going to tell you twice! You touch her, you DIE!" Angel yelled in a low and forceful tone. He then jerked Wolfe away from the rods and wrapped one strong arm around his neck, holding on tightly as the other Were struggled, scratching his arm with his claws to make him ease his hold till he passed out.
Angel then dragged him back into his cell, dropped him on the bed and walked out to bolt the cell door. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face the others.
He then saw that the seven Weres had formed a human shield around Nadia, protecting her and also preventing her from seeing him and Wolfe. He knew it had been years since he had been part of a pack and had forgotten what that felt like, but right then, he recalled what it felt like. He understood what it meant. They had perceived his scent on Nadia and saw her shoot two guards to save him and Blaze and must now know she was on their side and they were ready to die protecting her. His heart constricted. Holding their gazes, he nodded his thanks.
Shifting had helped him to heal a little but he was still hurting as hell and Wolfe stabbing him with his claws made him feel raw. His head was pounding from pain. And he felt unusually hot now.
"Please, you’ve got to let me see him! Angel?!" Nadia cried, almost sobbing.
"I'm fine, baby," he called out and smirked sheepishly when the others grinned openly at him. He was certain his face had gone red with embarrassment. They stepped aside, allowing her to see him. Nadia rushed down to meet up with him and wrapped her arms around his middle, getting herself stained in the process, but it didn’t seem as if she minded. Angel held her to his body and lowered his face to press his nose to her hair. He inhaled deeply and muttered, “I am fine, Nadie.” He felt her shake against him.
"Miss Nadia,” Blaze called, forcing her to withdraw from him and turned tears-stained eyes to the younger Were. “Thank you,” he added as he came to stand about three feet away from them. “You have saved us twice in one day…”
“I am so sorry I didn’t come fast enough,” she whispered in a shaky tone. Kurt went to pick up the gun she dropped on the floor, and examined the guards.
“Are they dead?” Angel asked.
“No, just unconscious and will probably soon… they are losing blood…” Kurt replied calmly.
“What happened? I knew something was up immediately I saw the lights were off!” Blaze said, groaning.
“We don’t know. They came in here and started barking out orders, threatening to kill anyone who made a noise. I had no idea what their plans were. But when the two of you climbed down that ladder, I just knew it was going down,” Kurt said. Nadia raised her eyes to look up into Angel’s eyes and then back to gaze at the other Weres.
"It’s Daniel. He is back. I saw those two with him earlier and when I saw them skulking after you two, I knew they were up to no good. I am so sorry…" Nadia said. “I can’t let them die, I have to get them to the infirmary…” she stuttered, trying not to look in the direction of the two guards. She had never shot anyone before and prayed they stayed alive. Kurt exchanged a look with Angel.
"Accidents happen daily here, Miss," Kurt replied and shrugged. "We will help you get them back up but we can’t help you to take them to the infirmary. That would cause trouble for us.”
“Don’t worry. I will take care of it,” Angel said.
“No. No. No. You are wounded and bleeding. We should call the doctor!”
“Nadie, let’s get these two up there before we have this conversation. Okay?” Angel said. She nodded hesitantly. Angel raised his eyes to the other Weres and two of them quickly carried the guards and started to climb up the ladder. Angel could feel himself going light-headed. He lowered his gaze and saw blood had pooled under his feet. When he raised his eyes, the other Weres were giving him a concerned look.
“Maybe you need to take Miss Nadia back, Angel,” Kurt said, giving him a meaningful look. Angel clenched his teeth and moved away from the cell door he rested on.
“Come on, babe,” he said. Nadia attempted to wrap her arm around his middle and it only reached halfway. Together they found their way up the ladder.
Angel breathed hard when they reached the surface and he pulled her away from the area and into the dense area of the ground.
“Angel… you need a doctor, please!” Nadia cried.
“I am a were, Nadie, I will heal. And remember what I told you about those injections that fast-track our healing?”
“Yes,” she answered in a small voice.
“I just need to sit down for a bit. I will be fine., he said, and stopped when they got to a large, tall tree. He sniffed and looked around, making sure no human was close before wrapping Nadia in a hug from the back. Completely enveloping her form. He buried his face in her hair again, inhaling the sweet scent of her fruity shampoo. “I miss you today,” he rasped.