“Damon and Jared finally told us everything.” Nicole put her hand on Jill’s. “Don’t worry. Slade will find out what’s going on and will help you and Pam.”
“Where is Slade?” Jill opened one eye to look at Nicole then Tessa.
“He’s with Pam.” Tessa glanced at Nicole, then back to Jill. “He wanted us to stay with you until he gets back.”
“Why’s he with Pam?” Jill sat back up, her chest tight with fear. “Is she okay?”
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Nicole replied. “Just lie back and rest for a while.”
An inhuman roar filled the room making each woman jump and stared at the door.
“What in the hell was that?” Tessa clutched her chest, eyes fixed on the door as if whatever made that God awful noise was going to come into the room at any minute.
Running feet passed, heading down the hallway. Jill jumped out of bed, grabbed a pair of shorts and she swung open the door, following Sid and Jared who were running toward Slade’s office. She managed to get her feet in her shorts as she ran. Before turning the corner, she heard the commotion of shouts, grunts and all out hell fire coming from Slade’s office.
With no thought at all, she ran to the open doorway, her eyes landing on a horror she would never be able to forget. Jared grabbed a screaming Tessa, taking her out of the room. Nicole pushed past Jill, but all Jill could do was stare in shock.
“Get her the fuck out of here!” Slade bellowed.
Jill’s eyes swung to his as someone grabbed her around the waist taking her out of the room. Her last vision was Slade covered in blood, Pam laying lifeless on the examination table, and Duncan being restrained by Sid and Sloan.
“No!” Jill screamed, fighting to get to Pam. “No!”
******
Jax opened the door for Caroline and followed her into the compound. Lana was just coming down the steps.
“Hey, there you are.” Lana hugged Caroline. “I got your message. What’s going on?”
“Hunter picked up someone’s scent around her place so he’s checking it out. I thought it was best that she come back with me and Blaze until we got the all clear from Hunter.” Jax headed toward Sloan’s office. “Where is everyone? Sloan wanted us here.”
“Not sure. They’ll probably be back. Sid left a little bit ago for the meeting. They should be in Sloan’s office or maybe the game room?” Lana frowned. “I was upstairs with Katrina playing with Daniel.”
“You hear anything from Hunter?” Jax asked Blaze as he leaned against the door jamb to Sloan’s office.
“No, not yet.” Blaze checked his phone before answering.
“So what do you think of my sister’s new place?” Lana grinned at Jax.
“Yeah, about that.” Caroline glared at Lana. “Are you in the habit of giving out my address to anyone?”
“I didn’t give it to anyone.” Lana shot back with a knowing grin. “I gave it to Jax. It’s a dump, isn’t it?” she said to Jax, ignoring Caroline’s glare.
“You’ve just been officially uninvited to my first dinner party,” Caroline snapped.
“How about uninviting me to help you paint?” Lana grinned. “That would really devastate me.”
Jax opened his mouth to say something, but a roar of rage took them all by surprise. Blaze was the first to take off toward the noise with Jax close on his heels. “Get in Sloan’s office and lock yourself in,” he shouted to Lana and Caroline as he disappeared.
“Hell with that.” Lana grabbed Caroline as she ran after Jax and Blaze. “Stay behind me.”
Caroline kept up with Lana who was in much better shape, but the closer they got, the more she wished they would have listened to Jax and locked themselves in Sloan’s office. It was total chaos. Jared was rushing past with Tessa, who was crying uncontrollably. Screams and shouts were coming out of a room right before them. Jax and Blaze disappeared into the room, but Blaze returned, carrying a kicking and screaming Jill away.
Her mind screamed for her to stop, but her feet kept following Lana until the door slammed, shutting them out.
Blaze had finally gotten Jill calmed down and Jared was coming back with Tessa held close to his side. Steve, Adam and Angelina followed.
“What happened?” Lana’s voice shook as she looked at Jared. “Please tell me it’s not Sid.”
Jared grabbed her with his free arm, holding her close. “No, it’s not Sid.” Jared stared at the door. “Slade was giving Pam a blood transfusion using Duncan’s blood.”
Jill pulled away from Blaze. “Why was he doing that?” Jill looked up at Jared. “Did she get worse?”
“Honey, I don’t know.” Jared frowned down at her. “Something went wrong and—”
“And what?” Jill’s voice filled with panic.
“And Slade is going to take care of her.” Steve walked over, wrapping his arm around Jill and answering for Jared who for once seemed to be at a loss for words.
Caroline and Lana shared a look as the door opened. Duncan walked out, his face ravaged with pain and despair as he carried Pam’s lifeless body in his arms. They were both covered in blood. He stared straight ahead, daring anyone to stop him. Nicole followed close behind him, her face streaked with tears. She stopped in front of Caroline. “He wants you and Lana.”
Putting her hand to her mouth, Caroline nodded as her eyes filled up with tears. She jerked when someone touched her arm.
“I told you to go in Sloan’s office.” Jax’s voice was low and deep.
Again Caroline nodded, which was all she could do, afraid if she opened her mouth, a scream of horror would escape. As she looked up at Jax, her tears escaped, rolling down her cheeks in waves. Jax cursed, taking her into his arms, holding her tightly.
******
Jill’s body quaked from heartbreak as she watched Duncan carrying Pam. She stumbled out of his way as he passed, his eyes straight ahead not once flicking toward her or anyone for that matter. She watched until he disappeared and then hurried toward Slade’s office. Not paying attention, she slipped on the blood-soaked floor, but Blaze, who had followed her, caught her before she hit the ground.
“Don’t turn him in until we know...” Sid stopped talking as soon as he spotted her.
“Turn him in?” Jill frowned, her eyes searching for answers to what was going on. The examination table, the floor, the walls, Sloan, Sid and Slade were all splattered with blood.
“Jill, you shouldn’t be here,” Slade replied, not looking at her. “Take her out,” he ordered Blaze, but Jill jerked her arm away.
“You can’t turn him in. Duncan turned her, didn’t he?” Jill wasn’t leaving until she was ready. No one said a word. No one would look at her. She walked straight up to Sloan. “You can’t turn him in.”
“He doesn’t have a choice.” Sid’s voice rose, truly indicating how upset he really was.
“Yes, he does.” Jill’s voice rose right back. “Don’t turn him in. It’s as easy as that.”
“You know nothing.” Sid growled as he walked past her and out the door.
Jill ignored Sid as he brushed past, but continued to stare at Sloan, who had finally looked at her. “Daniel needs him,” she pleaded. “No one has to know what happened. No one here will say anything, you know that.”
Sloan didn’t say anything. He walked past her and out the door, slamming it hard behind him. Jill turned to see Slade, his eyes vacant, as he stared at her.
“What happened?” She couldn’t decide if she should walk up to him or not. He seemed unapproachable and that scared her. Hell, everything at this point scared her and she didn’t like it. When he didn’t answer, she edged closer to him. “Slade?” she whispered.
His whispered name seemed to pull him out of wherever his mind had gone. With no warning whatsoever, he pulled her to him, holding her tightly. “I screwed up.” He held her tighter, almost breaking her in half. His voice was ragged with emotion. “I shouldn’t have...”
Not really knowing what happene
d, Jill didn’t know what to say. Pulling back to look up into his eyes, she saw defeat. That was the kicker. Any defeat in this man’s eyes was their downfall and it couldn’t happen.
“Look at me.” Jill grabbed his face, forcing his eyes to hers. “I love you.”
His eyes hardening at her words wasn’t the effect she was going for.
“I don’t know what happened here, but I know you tried your best.” Jill wouldn’t let him look away. “You can’t give up, Slade. I need you.”
She knew she was putting more pressure on him, but she didn’t know what else to say, what else to do. The glazed look in his eyes cleared and she knew it was working.
“I need you,” Jill repeated, placing a kiss on his firm lips. “I will always need you, but now more than ever.”
Slade’s eyes left hers, scanning his blood-covered office. “I warned them. I told them the risks.” His eyes came back to hers. “But in the end, it was me they were looking to for guidance. I was told the transfusions worked for some for a short period, but not others. She wasn’t strong enough and her body went into shock. Fuck! I should have known she was too weak.”
“But he changed her.” Jill fought for him. “That is what would have had to happen eventually, right?”
“It may have been too late. I promised my brother I would let him know when it was time and I failed. He may have been too late.” Slade cursed again, walking away from her. “I need to go check on her.”
She watched as he collected a few items, throwing them in a bag. He stopped at the door turning his head, but he didn’t look at her over his shoulder. “I love you.”
Before Jill could respond, he rushed out the door. Tears flowed down her cheeks. She wasn’t afraid for herself; she was afraid for him. If Pam didn’t make it, losing her would ruin Slade. Wiping her face, she looked around the office and knew what needed to be done. He didn’t need to come back to his office and see this as a reminder of what happened.
Grabbing as many towels as she could, Jill tossed them on Slade’s desk, except for one. Turning, she stared at the examination table as more tears threatened to fall. As she stared at the blood, Jill knew she would never forget the sound of pure anguish that had rose from Duncan’s throat. That had to be what hell sounded like. Squeezing her eyes shut, she put her hands over her ears trying to block out the memory.
Feeling someone take the towel from her hand, she opened her eyes to find Adam looking down at her. Turning, he walked away and began cleaning up Slade’s office. Steve and Angelina worked side by side doing the same. Taking a deep breath, Jill once again wiped her tears away, grabbed another towel and went to work. A Warrior never gave up. They may get knocked down, but they never stayed down, and she was a Warrior.
CHAPTER 13
Caroline slowly opened her eyes, a streak of bright sunlight blinding her momentarily. Tilting her head, she looked around the room from her position in a chair she had propped herself in to get a few hours of sleep. She hadn’t stepped foot out of Duncan and Pam’s small apartment for three days, neither had Nicole or Lana. They ate, showered and slept while waiting for Pam to pull through, praying for her survival.
Moving only her eyes, she saw Pam laying in the bed in the same position, with Duncan holding her hand, staring down at her with such hope, love and despair that it actually hurt her heart to keep looking at them. Shifting her eyes away from them, they landed on Jax who was staring directly at her from across the room where he leaned against the wall, arms crossed. In these three days, she had learned more about Jax Wheeler than she ever would have, even though they had hardly spoken. His devotion to his fellow Warrior was beyond belief, and his care for her, Nicole and Lana was just as impressive.
She couldn’t stop staring at him. It was as if her soul sought him out and couldn’t let go once it found him. Neither she nor Lana had been left alone in the room without one Warrior with them, and she knew why, without anyone telling her. If Pam didn’t pull out of this, Duncan would be out of control with sorrow and rage. It was for their protection as well as Duncan’s. If Jax was gone, another Warrior took his place. Even Sloan had kept vigil. Slade was in and out, his duty split between Pam and Jill. His focus and determination were admirable, but she saw in Slade’s eyes that Pam’s future was out of his hands now.
Finally closing her eyes, she rubbed her face, and then sat up slowly. In her younger days, this chair would have been no problem, but it was kicking her ass. She stretched, trying to work out the stiffness. A moment later, Nicole brought her a cup of coffee. Taking it, she smiled a thanks, her eyes searching for Lana. She found her in Sid’s arms on the floor. Sid looked up from watching Lana, giving her a wink.
At first, she had been confused why Duncan would want her with him during this time of such personal sadness, but then she realized why before it was explained to her by Nicole. He wanted her and Lana there just in case Pam didn’t make it. She wasn’t sure of the exact reason, but knew it had to do with their gifts and honestly, she didn’t care what it was. She was there to help in any way she could.
She, Nicole and Lana had wanted to help clean the blood from Pam that night, but Duncan had refused with an aggressiveness that honestly scared Caroline, but she understood it. So she had kept her distance and watched as this strong Warrior had heartbreakingly taken care of his mate.
Caroline shivered with anxious aggravation. For two of the three days in this room, something had been nagging at her and it was starting to drive her crazy. With her coffee that had been her lifeline, she quietly walked over to Sid and Lana. Kneeling on the ground, she gently nudged her sister. Sid frowned at her for waking up Lana, but Caroline just frowned back at him.
“What?” Lana grumbled, then sat up quickly, looking over at the bed in panic.
“Do you feel it?” Caroline whispered low enough she was sure Duncan couldn’t hear her.
Lana sat up surprisingly focused for just waking up. The sisters stared at each other for a long minute. “Yeah, I do.” Lana frowned. “Who is it?”
“I don’t know, but I think whoever it is, they’re right.” Caroline downed the rest of her coffee.
“Is it Pam?” The worried tone in Sid’s voice rang true. His body became suddenly tense as his eyes shot to Duncan.
“No,” both Lana and Caroline reassured him.
Relief shadowed his features, but then he frowned. “Then who are you talking about?”
Jax had walked over and was standing over them. “She needs something to fight for.” Caroline looked at Nicole who also joined them.
“And that something has been sitting at her side without moving an inch for three days,” Sid replied, his frown deepening.
“A woman would walk through hellfire for their man, but a mother would fight the devil himself for her child.” Caroline looked back over at Pam and knew she was right, or at least knew whoever put that thought in her head was right.
“Duncan won’t allow it.” Sid shook his head.
The three women looked at each other with determination. “I’ll get Daniel.” Nicole stood, but stopped when Sid grabbed her leg. “Let go, Sid.”
“Did you hear me?” Sid hissed. “Duncan will not allow this. You’re going to upset him and he doesn’t need this shit right now.”
Nicole jerked her leg away. “This isn’t about Duncan,” she hissed back. “And I’m not going to lose my best friend because it might upset Duncan.”
“Shit.” Sid stood, glancing at Duncan who seemed to be oblivious to anything other than Pam. “I’ll go get Damon and Slade.” He quietly left the room.
“So you really think this will work?” Jax also glanced at Pam.
“For some weird reason, yes,” Lana said. “It happens this way sometimes. We get messages or thoughts without having any clue where they come from or who it comes from, but we've learned to listen.”
“How long does it usually take for someone to..” Caroline frowned trying to find the right words. “...change?” This
vampire thing was new to her.
“It really depends.” Jax stared down at her. “The problem is Pam was weak before the change.”
The door opened and in walked Nicole holding Daniel, followed by Slade, Damon and Sid. Caroline walked closer, amazed at how much Daniel looked like Pam. His curious eyes looked around the room at everyone, a huge smile on his face. What mother wouldn’t fight to come back to this adorable child?
Daniel turned his head, his bright blue eyes landing on Pam. “Mommy.” His little voice broke the silence, his outstretched arms reaching for Pam.
Duncan’s head swiveled from Pam to his son. His eyes growing dangerously dark as he gently released Pam’s hand and stood. “What are you doing?” His eyes pinned Nicole to the spot. When he took a step forward, Damon also moved ready to protect Nicole.
Feeling that this was her plan, Caroline also stepped forward. “It was my idea.” Caroline cleared her throat nervously when Duncan’s eyes blazed toward her.
“You had no right.” Duncan’s eyes swung around as he ignored Daniel’s pitiful plea to go to him. “None of you had any right to make this decision.”
She felt Jax at her back and swallowed hard. It was do or die time. Her eyes flickered to Pam then to Duncan. Now more than ever, death was close. No one needed her gift to feel that.
“If Pam has a fighting chance to come through this, she needs something to fight for.” Caroline made damn sure her voice was strong with conviction, because Duncan looked like he wanted to kill her. “If Daniel were my son, I would do everything in my power to get back to him. Any mother would and if you would look past your own pain, you would see this is what needs to be done.”
The room was deathly silent. Caroline went to Nicole reaching out toward Daniel who looked away from Pam and reached for her. Smiling at the young boy, she stopped directly in front of Duncan who continued to stare at her.
“Daddy,” Daniel said, his tone more reserved as he looked at Duncan. As if knowing something wasn’t right, his little arms wrapped around her neck tighter.
Seeing something flicker in Duncan’s eyes, she held Daniel out to him. “Make her fight.”
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