Blue Moon (Colors of the Moon #1)

Chapter 31

"Do you actually have a death wish?"

"Wh... What?" Ortiz struggled in Jared's hold, but he proved to be unable to escape the deadly hold.

"You dare harm my mate?"

The moment I saw Jared's hand tighten even further, I hurried across the room. I wasn't sure what I could possibly do, but I knew I couldn't just stand by and watch him kill somebody.

"Let him go."

Before I could reach Jared's side, however, Molly appeared in front of me and blocked my way.

"He's not in control right now," she said, while keeping her arms spread wide apart. "You can try to talk to him, but from a safe distance. I can't allow my Luna to get hurt."

"Jared?" I called out and craned my neck, so I could see past Molly's shoulder.

"Wasn't the first lemonade enough?" Jared acted like he hadn't even heard me. "Now you've restored to poisoning water?"

"Lemonade?" Molly glanced at Jared and Ortiz and then back at me. "Poison? What in the name of the Moon happened here?"

"I... I didn't..." Ortiz rasped out, but he didn't get much else out as Jared tightened his hold for another fraction.

"You need to stop him," I said to Molly.

It didn't matter if Ortiz intentionally contaminated the water or not. I couldn't allow Jared to kill him. Enemy or not, Ortiz was still a member of Blue Moon.

"What's going on here?"

The question came from the entrance into the dining room, where Dyson and Conner appeared. While the latter had his arm wrapped around Dyson's shoulder and was leaning against him, Dyson stared at Jared and Ortiz with raised eyebrows.

"Stop him," I said the moment Dyson's eyes moved from Sasha to Molly and me.

"What?" Dyson asked.

"You need to stop Jared from killing Ortiz." I waited for two heartbeats, but Dyson still remained rooted to his spot. "Now!"

In an instant Conner lifted his arm off Dyson and leaned against the wall. Dyson, on the other hand, immediately rushed forward. The second he reached Jared's side, he grabbed onto his arm. However, Jared proved to be too strong. Only after Molly rushed to his other side, did she and Dyson managed to pry Jared's fingers of Ortiz. The said guy landed on the floor and erupted into a coughing fit.

"Let go of me!" Jared growled, while keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the former Gamma. "He tried to harm Naia again."

"What?" Dyson turned his head toward Ortiz.

"What if it isn't his doing?" The soft whisper had all of our heads snapping in Conner's direction. "What if the hunters are forcing him to do it?"

"It's his own doing." Jared completely disregarded him, and snapped his eyes back to Ortiz.

I, on the other hand, kept my attention focused on Conner. The moment he had mentioned hunters I immediately remembered what exactly he had demanded of Aiko. He had told her to tell him where Larry was.

I pushed Jared's growls into the background and instead made my way over to Conner. He watched me with careful eyes, but made no move to flee.

Now, that I really looked at him, there was no denying that he didn't look like himself. His once shiny blonde hair was a lifeless mob and the spark in his eyes I had seen in Larry's presence was nowhere to be found. Not to mention the bandage wrapped around the upper part of his chest.