by Lisa Kessler
I bent my legs and pressed my shoulder against the frigid metal. I let out a primal scream, all my fear and all my love, and I shoved with every ounce of fight left in my body. The metal groaned, but it was moving. I kept pushing, changing my grip to use both hands. Deep inside my wolf howled and a reserve of power I never knew I had, emptied into my muscles.
The SUV tipped, the tires slamming into the snow. Taryn moaned at the jarring. Her door handle was flattened. I reached through the broken glass and popped the door from the inside. With some extra tugging it finally opened. I stretched across her body and unfastened her seatbelt.
“Are you with me?”
“I think so,” she gasped. “Charlie…”
“I’m going to take you to him, but moving is going to hurt your shoulder. Can you brace your arm?”
She moved her left hand to hold her forearm.
“Perfect. Ready?”
She nodded and I cradled her as carefully as I could. She bit back a cry and rested against my chest as I carried her over to Charlie.
“I’m going to pop your shoulder back in place. It’s going to hurt like a sonofabitch but then you should be able to use your arm.”
“Take care of Charlie first.”
I lifted her chin to be sure she was focused on me. “He’s freezing, Taryn. You’re going to have to warm him.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Taryn
“I can’t. I’ll burn him.” My pulse thundered in my ears. The thought of using my Pyrokinesis on my little boy terrified me. He already had one scar from my fire, and that was one too many.
“I didn’t think I could climb in that car wreck either.” Jared kissed my forehead. “You can do this.”
“What if I hurt him?”
“He’ll freeze if we do nothing.” Jared shivered beside me. “I’ve done all I can. The rest is up to you.”
I looked past Jared to my son. Charlie’s skin was almost as white as the snow. I couldn’t let him die like Trevor had. I needed to fight for him. For both of us.
My gaze locked on Jared’s. “I’m ready.”
“Lay back.”
I lay down on the ground and he grasped my right wrist. “Brace yourself, this is going to hurt, but I swear when it’s back in place you’ll feel much better.”
He pulled my arm out straight. I wailed in pain, fire erupting in my belly. My stomach turned, nausea burning at the back of my throat. Finally, the joint slipped back into place. I trembled, shaken up from the painful treatment.
Jared pressed his fingers to my wrist. “You should be fine now. Strong pulse.”
I took a couple of deep breaths. The pain dulled to an ebb. My body still burned from the sudden agony of my shoulder. “I haven’t tried regulating the fire. I’m not sure how.”
Jared knelt by Charlie. “Kilani told me she remembered you heating mugs of hot chocolate with your hands. Can you remember how you did it?”
He’d been talking to her about me, about my powers. Just like he’d been talking to my son about werewolves. This wasn’t the time for an emotional discussion, but that didn’t stop it from hurting. Why hadn’t he talked to me? He said he loved me, but he never trusted me. Not when it counted.
I sat up and scooted closer to Charlie. I rubbed my hands together and glanced at Jared. “Can you tell me if they’re too hot?”
His bloodstained fingers trembled as he reached for me. His skin was icy. My jaw slackened. He was freezing to death, too.
Jared withdrew his hand. “Didn’t burn me. Warm him up.”
I laid my hands on Charlie’s chest first, testing to see if my touch scorched his sweater. “You should turn back into a wolf. The fur would protect you from the snow.”
“I can’t.”
I frowned, moving one hand down each of Charlie’s arms. “It’s a full moon tonight, and you’re a werewolf.”
Jared shivered. “Doesn’t work like that. I get one shift with the moon once a month. I forced the wolf back so I could get you out of the car. There’s no changing back.”
My heart pounded. “Maybe you can get in the Escalade. At least you’d be out of the wind.”
“No way.” He shook his head. “I can’t.”
“Jared, you’ll freeze.”
“I’ll be fine. Concentrate on Charlie.” He started to walk away, into the dim light of my one fading headlight.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to be sure Damian’s dead. I bit him.”
I ran a warm hand over Charlie’s face. A little color seemed to be returning to his skin. Hope swelled inside my chest.
But then Jared’s words sank in. “Wait a second. That means…”
“It means I need to be sure he’s dead.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Jared
Now that I was out of the SUV, and Taryn and Charlie were safe, the adrenaline dwindled, zapping my strength. Exhaustion coupled with hypothermia blended until I could barely stand. All I wanted was to sleep.
I’d die.
As I neared the spot where I left Damian’s body, I prayed he was dead. I’d never bitten anyone as a wolf. If you didn’t kill them, they’d be changed, they’d become a werewolf, too. And since Damian was already a jaguar shifter, god only knew what kind of hybrid nightmare my mistake would unleash.
There was plenty of bloodstained snow.
But no fucking body.
I followed a red trail. He’d dragged himself away, but he’d lost a lot of blood. He might still be dead. With any luck my teeth had punctured arteries.
“Don’t move, Wolf.”
The smooth barrel of his pistol pressed into my back between my shoulder blades. I waited for another dose of adrenaline, but nothing came. No strength, no fear, no survival instincts. My skin burned from the icy wind, and the shivering had stopped, allowing the cold to seep even deeper into my body.
“You’re underdressed for a blizzard.”
“Fuck you.”
He shoved me forward. I fell face first into the snow, unable to break my fall. Behind me he cocked his gun. He shouted over the wind to Taryn. “If you don’t want to see me execute your boyfriend, you need to come with me. Now!”
I lifted my head, a monumental effort. “No! Taryn, don’t do it.”
He fired a shot into my leg. I screamed, but before I could retaliate, Damian bellowed in pain, dropping the gun. I rolled over and found him engulfed in flames like he’d been bathed in gasoline and lit a match.
His arms flailed as he stumbled backwards. His heel caught a rock and down he went, over the edge of the steep mountainside.
Taryn rushed to my side, her eyes wide. “Where are you—”
“My leg.” I was already losing blood. Fast. “How’s Charlie?”
“He’s still not awake, but he’s got some color and his pulse is steady.” She ran her warm hands down my chest setting off another wave of seizure-like shivers. “I don’t know what happened. I set Damian on fire. I…”
“You saved my life. All of our lives.”
“I’m dangerous. I’m the weapon they wanted.”
I shook my head, struggling for the strength to speak. “You’re no more dangerous than I am.”
She stared into my eyes and finally turned away to inspect my wounded calf. “You were in med school. Tell me how to help you.”
“We need…to slow…” I couldn’t get my damned teeth to stop chattering. “…the bleeding.”
Taryn pulled her sweater off over her head and I groaned. “No. You stay warm.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m plenty warm.” She pressed the sweater against my wound. I was too weak to scream. She kept one hand on the compress and ran the other up my uninjured leg, warming my wind burned skin. “Now what?”
I shuddered and forced out a whisper. “I need clothes and a doctor.”
Two giant wolves burst through the trees. I recognized Adam and Jason. I’d never make it long enough for them to shift.
Taryn gasped, but she didn’t run away. “Are they…”
“Yeah.”
She yelled, slowly like that would help an animal understand. “Jared is freezing and has a gunshot wound. He needs to warm up and get to a hospital.”
Jason’s head snapped in my direction. He trotted over and sniffed at my face. He licked my cheek and loped into the shadows. After touching my skin, he had to know I was fading.
Adam came into the light carrying something in his jaws. He dropped my clothes on the ground next to Taryn.
“Thank you.” She didn’t try to touch him, just went for the sweatshirt. “Can you sit up?”
I couldn’t move, couldn’t keep my eyes open. No fight left. She and Charlie were safe, that was all that mattered. Jason and Adam would get them home. I could rest now. So tired.
I sank into the void as I forced out a whisper, “I love you.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Taryn
“Jared?” I gave up on the compress and hauled his torso up. His dead weight was heavier than I anticipated. I struggled to keep him upright while I tugged the sweatshirt over his head. “Jason, if that’s you, please hurry!”
I did my best to pull the shirt down and clutched him close, hoping my intensified body heat might warm him enough. I wasn’t sure if he passed out from the cold or blood loss.
Adam jogged toward me. In my panic over Jared, I almost missed he was naked. He grabbed Jared’s jeans and checked the pockets.
“What are you doing?”
He pulled out Jared’s cell phone. “Calling for back up.”
Jason bolted from the trees to his brother’s side. He knelt in the snow, examining Jared’s leg. “The bullet went straight through.”
“Is that good?”
“Better than me having to dig it out.”
Over my shoulder, Adam shouted commands into the cell phone. “Sasha. We need you. Now. Jared and Charlie are down, and Jason and I are freezing our asses off without our clothes.”
He paused.
“Thanks. I’m getting our coordinates and I’ll text you.”
“What’s Charlie’s condition?” Jason asked while he put pressure on Jared’s wound.
“I don’t know.” My eyes welled with tears. “He’s still unconscious. I warmed him and his pulse was strong.”
“That’s good news.” Jason took my hand, no trace of panic in his eyes. “I’ll go take a look at Charlie once we get Jared stable.” Werewolf or not, Jason was a master at bedside manner. How could he be so calm with his brother bleeding and no ambulance on the way? “We’re going to get them out of here.”
I nodded and did my best to suck up my tears. Crying could come later, for now, I needed to keep my wits.
Jason looked up. “Adam, can you use his flashlight app so I can get a better look?”
Adam shined the light on Jared’s leg. His toes were blue. Jason shook his head. “He’s got frostbite in both feet. We’ve got to warm him up.”
Adam handed me the phone. “Can you hold this steady? We’ll get his pants on.”
“Wish we had his socks and shoes,” Jason muttered.
Adam frowned, pulling a pant leg up Jared’s non-injured leg. “Sorry, but when I realized he took off on his own, I didn’t have time or fingers to tie his laces together so I could carry them.”
Jason pulled my sweater tight around Jared’s calf, then they went to work on trying to get his pant leg over the wound. Luckily the bullet hit his lower leg. If it had been his thigh, they’d never be able to fit his jeans over the sweater.
Straightening up, Jason barked orders while he rushed over to Charlie. “Adam, bring him over here. Maybe Taryn can warm both of them until Sasha gets here.”
I got up to follow Adam. His back was covered in goosebumps. How long would it take for Sasha to find us? He laid Jared on the ground beside Charlie. Jason was using Jared’s cell phone stop watch to check their pulses.
His hands were trembling.
They were both going to freeze just like Jared and Charlie. I stared across the clearing, my mind replaying Damian bursting into flames. His clothes hadn’t smoldered or smoked. The eruption of fire had been instantaneous. The moment I heard that gunshot, and I thought he’d executed Jared, the fury and anguish manifested into an explosion of flames.
An explosion of flames.
“Wood.” I looked up at them. “We need wood.”
Adam shivered, watching Jason listen to Charlie’s chest. He glanced at me. “Everything is covered in snow. We’d never find anything dry enough to burn.”
“It doesn’t need to be dry.” He met my eyes, and I steeled my nerves. “I burned Damian. He was wet and bloody. I can do this.”
Adam stared at me. I held my breath, waiting to see fear, or repulsion, or at least judgment from my confession. Had he heard me? I just killed a man with fire.
Adam finally started to nod and nudged Jason. “Let’s gather some wood.”
Werewolves were apparently much stronger than your average man. Jared had lifted my SUV alone, and Adam and Jason came back with trunks of fallen trees that even a lumberjack would need a hoist to lift.
Once they had the massive logs stacked, they looked over at me. Adam cleared his throat. “Should we step back, or?”
This was surreal. I was about to expose my gift to two virtual strangers.
But they’d come to our rescue knowing I would see their secret. Jared trusted them. They loved him. That would have to be enough for me too. Right now, my Pyrokinesis was the only hope we had.
“No, you can stay there.” I focused on the logs, not completely sure if it would work. I’d never used my power on command like this. I was usually upset or…I forced out the doubt and embraced the fire. Heat flickered in my belly. My love for Charlie and Jared fueled it. They needed me. No one else was going to come to the rescue. They’re lives depended on me and my fire. I narrowed my eyes, my skin so hot now, the snow melted around my feet.
Nothing happened. For a split second, fear closed my throat. But before panic could set in the wood burst into flame. Adam laughed, reaching his hands out to warm them.
Jason looked up from his patients and smiled. “That’s a handy trick.”
Never in my life had I considered my gift “handy.” It never occurred to me that the fire could help instead of hurt.
I knelt on the ground staring at Charlie and Jared. “Are they going to be all right?”
Jason nodded and met my eyes. “We need to get them to my office. I’m pretty sure Charlie has a broken collarbone, probably a cracked rib, and whiplash, but until I can get some x-rays I won’t know for sure. His pupils are reactive and his pulse is strong. Jared’s got frostbite, and a hole in his leg, but he’ll heal.”
“Shouldn’t they be in the hospital?”
Adam shot Jason a cautioning look. Jason cleared his throat. “They can’t go to the hospital, Taryn.”
“Why not?” I stroked Charlie’s hair back from his forehead. “If Charlie’s got broken bones, he might need surgery. What if he’s got a concussion? I’m sure you’re a great doctor, but I want my son to have an MRI.”
“Jared wasn’t lying about Charlie. He’s a werewolf.”
“That’s impossible. He’s never been bitten.”
Adam walked over to my other side and knelt down. “Usually for a woman to get pregnant with a werewolf, she needs to be converted, bitten, but recently we’ve learned about Nero running a secret breeding program. They discovered human women with strong psychic abilities don’t need to be bitten in order to carry a shifter child and pass along the ability.”
I frowned, processing his impossible words. “You’re saying that Noah was a werewolf and the reason he never used protection when we slept together was because he thought I couldn’t get pregnant.”
“Exactly.” Adam nodded. “And when you told him you were…”
“…he thought it couldn’t be his child.”
“Yeah.” He placed a b
ig heavy hand on my shoulder. “Charlie probably had a twin brother, too.”
A tear spilled down my cheek.
“And they were born about five months early?”
“How could you possibly know that?”
Adam’s green eyes searched mine. “Because werewolves are born in sets of twins and the gestation time is only four months.”
I covered my mouth to keep from sobbing. Adam pulled me into a tight hug, and in spite of his lack of clothes, I accepted the comfort. Nothing about his touch was sexual. His embrace was calming, protective like a father, or…a leader.
Pulling back I met his eyes. “You’re their Alpha. It was you that night when Jared showed up under my deck during the full moon.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I was trying to stop him from exposing us to humans. The Pack is my responsibility.”
“Malcolm who helped me was…your father?”
“Yeah.” Jared moaned and Adam stepped back. “If you took Charlie to the hospital and they did an MRI and took blood samples, the lab would detect abnormalities in his DNA and he’d become a lab rat. We’d all be in danger. Humans can’t know we exist.”
Secrets were something I understood.
And the more I processed what Adam told me, the more it made sense. Charlie could hear things no human could possibly hear. As a toddler, he walked early, and spoke in full sentences before most babies could say Mama. Charlie and Trevor had been born five months premature, but they’d been fully developed and just over four pounds each.
The midwife, I couldn’t afford a hospital, had suspected I must’ve had gestational diabetes. No one ever would have guessed the truth.
I pressed my lips together, struggling to keep my voice from cracking. “What if he’s got a brain injury? You can’t fix that in a doctor’s office.”
“Charlie’s a werewolf.” Jason took my hand. “And luckily, we’re tough to kill and usually a little quicker to heal than humans.”
“You think he’ll be okay?”
“I’ll do everything I can to see that he is.”
“Calvary is here.” Sasha’s voice echoed. “We’re on our way down.”