“These word games get old,” Mason said, eager to get past the puzzles and down to the hard facts. “What do I have to do to save her?”
The corners of David’s mouth lifted in a barely concealed smile. “You always were impatient.”
“Just spit it out,” Mason ground out through clenched teeth.
“All right then,” David said in a slow drawl. “The answer is quite simple. Convert her to Arion and she will live.”
Mason blinked, David’s words barely infiltrating his brain. Convert Holly? No. Never. He couldn’t.
When Mason didn’t immediately speak, David added, “She is already connected to you, brother. As your mate, she is halfway down the path to conversion. Unlike the steps it would take for another to transition over, the process is quite easy for her.”
Mason had a near tornado-like formation of thoughts running through his mind. He didn’t know what to do. Would Holly want him to convert her? How could he survive without her? How could he be selfish enough to think of himself?
God.
Without knowing it he had spoken the word out loud.
“Yes,” David said. “Let’s talk about God. I know how religious you are. Arions are creatures of God as much as humans are. Would you end your mate’s life rather than simply finish her conversion? If you believe we are all creatures of God and that God answers your prayers, is this not what you would want? A chance to save your mate?”
Mason laughed bitterly. “You of all people have no room to talk of God and religion.”
David smiled but it was not a happy look that filled his face. “God has answered my prayers, brother. He gave me the power, and the word, to lead. Your destiny is by my side. My mate is Arion. Make yours so as well. This will help them help us as we create the New World that is the destiny of earth.”
Mason could hardly believe his ears. “You’re crazier than I thought. God didn’t tell you to take over the world and, no matter what fiction you formulate, I will not be fooled into following you.”
David’s response was quick. “We shall see, brother, we shall see. Your role is by my side. I know this, and so will you. Together we can create a new world where weakness is no more. I’m going to spare your men tonight as proof I believe in our brotherhood. For now, all you must do is complete the binding of your mate. You need her to be strong. “
Mason ignored everything but the part about saving Holly. David had given him the safety of those around him. In the back of his mind he knew David wasn’t as in control as he hoped he was. If he knew the depth of the uprising against him, he’d never free them. “A blood transfer? Intravenously?”
He nodded. “If there is time. The easiest method is more natural, the way of our race. Ask Diego and he will show you.” Then he turned, the wind picking up speed, dirt spinning around their feet.
Mason’s mind was replaying David’s words when David turned back to him. “Acceptance is the only way to use what you are.”
David started to turn but hesitated. “Once she is one of us, she will be able to produce a child again. You will want this to carry on our name and our leadership.”
“How did you know she couldn’t—”
David cut him off. “The same way you can know things. Acceptance, brother. Harness what you have been given. Our power is great. Soon we will show the world. Two brothers with world power.”
Mason wanted to tell him to go to hell, but Holly was dying, and his men were weak. He needed to buy time, so he remained silent. The day would indeed come when he and David would be one…in battle. And good would defeat evil.
David smirked. “These few troops you’ve brought together have nothing to offer. My force is massive because my path is the way of the new day. I know you, brother, and soon you will join me. Together we will dominate.”
And then he was gone, leaving Mason wondering just what his words meant. Just what exactly his twin had in mind for humanity. Knowing this battle was far from over. But he had only one real concern at that moment. Should he convert Holly?
* * * * *
Mason stepped off the elevator to find Michael sitting on the couch waiting for him. The minute he saw Mason, he pushed to his feet and faced him.
Mason felt dread spiral through his gut. He was afraid to ask. Was she dead? “How is she?” he asked, in a choked voice.
Michael’s expression was grim, his tone weary. “I won’t lie to you. She’s not good. What did David say to you?”
Mason watched Michael’s expression closely as he spoke. “He said converting her was the only way to save her.”
Michael nodded, his lips tightly drawn. “He’s right. She won’t survive otherwise. You have no option.”
Mason ran his hand across his jaw. “It’s Holly’s choice, not mine.”
“She can’t make that choice now. Choose life for her, Mason. It’s not selfish to want her to live.”
Mason’s eyes widened, registering his shock at Michael’s perceptive abilities. “Isn’t it? I want her to live for my reasons. What if she would choose differently? What if she lives and hates me for choosing wrong?”
“She won’t. Holly knows you need her and, more importantly, she knows the world needs you. She wants to be there for you.”
Mason’s voice was hushed, his pain etched in every syllable he spoke, “How can you be sure?”
“I am.” The words were spoken with absoluteness.
The door to the bedroom drew their attention. Diego waved at Mason. “Time is short. We must act.”
Diego’s message was as certain as Michael’s words. Holly was about to die. He had to make a decision.
It was now or never.
Did the love of his life live or die?
Chapter Twenty-Five
She looked so pale, so still.
Mason sat on the bed beside Holly and couldn’t contain the sorrow and pure pain he felt. Burying his face in her neck, the tears came like water from a faucet.
This was his woman, his life, his mate, and, in as basic a sense as possible, his wife.
“I love you, Holly.” He whispered the words over and over, praying she could hear him.
A light touch on his shoulder made him still.
“It’s time to make a choice,” Michael said quietly. “Will you give her life?”
Mason let out a heavy breath and slowly lifted his head. His eyes lingered on Holly, memorizing every line of her face, dampness clinging to his cheeks.
“Will you give her life?” Michael repeated with the same controlled voice.
Mason touched Holly’s hair and mentally he reached out to her, his words spoken silently, to be heard only by the woman he so loved.
“Forgive me, Holly, but I am perhaps more human than I realized. Selfish as it may be, I can’t let you leave me.”
Then, like a light breeze, he felt a flutter in his mind.
Holly?
Did he dare believe she had just reached for him, that she understood his decision and was okay with it?
Somehow he felt as if he had received some form of acceptance, as if she had blessed his decision. Yet, still, he wasn’t sure. Had he really felt her mind connect with his? It had been such a brief contact.
“Mason,” Michael said urgently. “I must—”
Mason turned to him, cutting off his words with his own. “She can’t die. What do I have to do?”
It was Diego who answered, stepping forward to the other side of the bed. “You must exchange blood with her.”
Mason looked at the IV drip beside the bed connected to Holly’s arm. It was a clear fluid that dripped into her vein. Not blood. “By IV?”
Mason already knew the answer before Diego spoke. David had already told him the facts. “There’s no time,” Diego said. “Arion methods are more certain and less time restrictive.”
Mason digested the words calmly. “How?”
Diego looked up at Michael and then Sterling. “We need privacy.”
Michael and St
erling moved without hesitation, wordlessly accepting and responding to the request. The quiet click of the door shutting sounded before Diego spoke again.
“It is natural for an exchange of blood to occur during the mating ritual and when conceiving a child.”
Mason’s brow furrowed. He knew Holly bore his mark yet they had exchanged no blood. “But Holly and I never exchanged blood. She bears my mark.”
“The ritual can be completed without the blood exchange; however, it is a limited connection at best. With the exchange there are new benefits and abilities made available to both partners.”
“Meaning?”
“The two of you will have a mental path of communication; she will share your powers and be better able to protect herself. Those are the critical factors. There are others we don’t have time to discuss. For now, we must proceed. She is too weak to wait.”
Mason took a deep breath. “How does this exchange occur?”
“The shoulder. At least, that is natural during intimacy. For now, wrist to wrist will do. She will not need a lot of blood,” Diego explained. “Arion genes will connect with hers and heal her quickly. With sleep, of course. Just as you require.”
Mason willed himself to calm. “Are you saying I have to bite her? Like a damn vampire or something?”
Diego fixed Mason in a steady stare. “It is hardly a vampire-like act. You are not sucking her blood, you are simply exchanging, creating a blood bond. As for the method, you have the ability to sharpen your eyeteeth if you concentrate. I assure you, nature will take over if you focus your mind on what comes natural to our race. She is your mate. You will want this.”
Mason couldn’t quite fathom the concept of biting Holly and drawing blood. To sink his teeth into her flesh seemed barbaric.
“There is no time to think,” Diego warned. “Just do it. Start by biting your own wrist. Gently drip your blood into her mouth. A few drops will be enough. Run your tongue along the wound and it will reseal in a matter of seconds. Then do the same with Holly’s wrist. I will leave you alone with her but I will be right outside the door. Simply call my name if you need me.”
* * * * *
Mason let Diego’s words play in his mind.
Just act, don’t think.
Holding Holly’s hand in his own, he closed his eyes, willing his mind to the place it needed to be. Holly was his mate. To connect with her felt natural. Reaching for her mind, he searched for a wave of communication.
His breathing slowed until it felt as if it were hers, not his. Thumb over her wrist, he felt her heat beating and it seemed almost to become his own. In his mind, he heard it like a loud beating of a drum, calling him to save her, to make her stronger.
His body responded with an odd surge of adrenaline, much like he felt during battle, only somehow different. It coursed through his veins like a stream of white water, pushing him to a new level of awareness.
His nostrils flared as the scent of Holly invaded his very core. It was as if he could feel her inside him, a part of him. Needing her, he knelt across her body, burying his face in her hair, soaking in her very essence.
Then, without even thinking about his actions, as if he answered a calling of sorts, he sat up and bit his wrist. There was no pain, only hope. His teeth had indeed sharpened. He held his wrist to her mouth and watched as his blood dripped into her parted lips, being careful not to give her too much, fearful she would choke.
When she swallowed, he let out a breath of air, relief inching through his body. This was his only hope of saving her. “That’s it, angel, swallow for me.” He carefully placed a few more drops in her mouth and then ran his tongue over his wound.
Before he could think twice about his actions, he lifted her wrist to his mouth. It was critical he complete their bond. Her strength to heal would come from the Arion transformation, not the blood. Gently he ran his tongue across her pulse, mentally sending her an apology before he bit down. She didn’t so much as flinch.
With care, he let his mouth form a gentle suction, taking in a few drops of her blood before running his tongue across the wound.
He stared down at her, holding her hand in his. “Now it’s up to you, Holly.” He shut his eyes. “Please don’t leave me.”
After long moments he let his head drop to her stomach, holding her and praying she would stay with him.
“Mason.”
It was Diego. Mason raised his head and turned to face him, answering the unspoken question. “It’s done.”
Diego nodded. “I’ll check her vitals.”
“And then?”
Diego’s face was wiped of all expression. “We wait. I don’t anticipate this being a difficult process. She is partially converted and her body is already in shut down mode. Any trauma she might feel will be shielded by her mind. Your blood will give her renewed power to heal.”
* * * * *
Holly blinked.
She remembered everything that had happened to her as if she had watched it through some sort of looking glass. And she knew Mason was worried about her and his decision.
Sensing he was near, she attempted to call his name. “Mason.” Her voice was a mere whisper at best.
She heard movement and then he was there, by her side, holding her hand, touching her face. “I’m here, Angel. God, I’ve been so worried.” He called over his shoulder. “Diego!”
“I know,” she said as he refocused on her, “but I’m fine.” She frowned. “Who’s Diego?”
He ignored her question and started to explain his actions. She knew it from his tone, his expression, his focus on her. “Holly—”
It took all of her energy but she reached up and touched his lips with her fingers. “I know. You did the right thing. I would never have wanted to leave you.”
A deep voice Holly didn’t recognize interrupted. “I need to check her vitals.”
Holly raised her head to see, already feeling a bit stronger. “Who are you?”
“Diego. Your doctor.”
“Since when?”
Diego laughed and exchanged a look with Mason. “She is feeling better, I see. Already challenging everyone as Sterling said she often does.”
“Sterling said that?” Holly demanded.
Mason laughed. “I believe she is indeed improving.”
“Twelve hours of sleep works wonders,” Diego said as he moved toward Holly.
“Twelve hours!” Holly exclaimed. “I’ve wasted twelve hours in bed?”
Mason kissed her hand while Diego said, “It was necessary for you to heal properly.”
Holly mind raced. “And now? Am I…am I healed?”
Diego stood by her side. “Near so. You know what happened?”
“Yes,” Holly said, realizing how impossible that should be, yet it was true. She had seen everything through Mason’s eyes.
“Then you know you are now Arion,” Mason asked quietly, tensely, from beside her.
She looked at him. “Yes, Mason, I know. You did the right thing.” Her eyes softened. “I love you. I could never leave you.”
“Oh, Holly,” he whispered. “I was so worried you would feel I had stolen your ability to choose.”
Diego cleared his throat. “I really need to examine her wound and check her vitals.”
Mason sighed. “Do it quick.”
Diego smiled despite Mason’s stern tone. “Yes, sir. Quick it is.”
Holly smiled at Mason. “We have a lifetime, Mason.”
“Yes, we do. And I am so damn glad.”
* * * * *
Much later that night, after Holly had rested and was feeling well enough to actually move around, Holly lay nuzzled up to Mason’s shoulder, propped up in a sitting position against the headboard.
Mason had told her she could have children again and she was still trying to decide how she felt about that. Once, it would have been great news but, in such uncertain times, she wasn’t sure she wanted to bring a child into the world.
But may
be the future would be bright enough to allow her the opportunity to be a parent.
With Mason.
For long minutes they sat in quiet comfort together, simply absorbing the good fortune they had to have a second chance.
Mason broke the silence, a hint of torment in his voice. “I should have told you about the mating.”
Underground Guardians BOX SET: Includes 'Protector' and 'Healer' Page 30