by Zoe Chant
Raluca whirled around. Nick was sitting up, with his right leg twisted in front of him and his right arm hanging limp at his side. The right side of his face was scraped raw and bloody, and the left was white as paper. But he held a gun absolutely steady in his left hand.
“Raluca, get behind me and down!” Nick shouted.
She dove behind him, her heart singing with relief.
Gunshots rang out, making her flinch. But Nick’s back stayed straight— he hadn’t been hit. Raluca couldn’t see anything. But she heard a lot of running feet and metal clattering, amidst a flurry of more shots.
“What’s going on?” she whispered.
“I got two,” Nick whispered back. She could hear the strain in his voice, and wondered, her heart lurching, how badly he was hurt. “The rest ducked behind dumpsters and stuff. Get my phone out of my right pants pocket and call Hal.”
Relieved to have something to do, Raluca slid her hand into Nick’s pocket. He flinched slightly when she touched his hip, making her wince in sympathy. But she gritted her teeth and reached deeper. Her fingers touched something sharp. She pulled out a handful of black fragments.
“Oh, fuck,” Nick muttered. Then, louder, “Behind me!”
Raluca ducked back as Nick fired his gun several times, his shoulder moving as he swung his arm in a wide arc. She heard the ping of bullets hitting metal, along with more gunshots from farther away.
Nick rocked back suddenly, his breath going out in a sharp huff. But he didn’t make any other sound. Raluca bit her tongue, forcing back her cry. If he’d been wounded, he surely wouldn’t want to give it away.
“Are you hit?” she murmured, barely breathing the words, knowing his wolf hearing would catch the softest sounds.
“Yeah.” He spoke so quietly that she strained to hear and understand. “Not bad, I think. But we can’t stay here. We’ve got no cover. You’re strong. Get me behind that dumpster. Move fast, on my go. I’ll be shooting to cover us, so make sure my arm’s free.”
Raluca followed the jerk of Nick’s head. The dumpster wasn’t far, but with his injuries, she didn’t like the idea of moving him at all. Especially when she wouldn’t have time to be gentle. She tried to figure out the best way to lift him. She’d never carried anyone before.
“How —” she began.
“Go!” Nick began firing again.
Raluca had no time to think. She grabbed him under the arms and bolted for the dumpster, trying not to let his feet touch the ground. The gunfire was loud as explosions going off in her ears. As her heels clattered across the concrete, her heart pounded with fear that she’d be hit, that Nick would be hit, that the fall had broken his back and she was killing him by moving him so roughly —
And then she was behind the metal shield of the dumpster. She skidded to a stop, banging her shoulder against a brick wall. Nick flinched at the jarring impact. Raluca set him down as gently as she could, sitting up with his back against the wall, then peered at him anxiously.
“Where are you hit?” she whispered.
“My side.”
Raluca lifted his jacket. The bullet had dug a furrow along his ribs, bloody but shallow. The relief in his expression when he saw it was echoed in her own heart.
“It’s nothing,” he said. “Forget it. We have bigger —”
A fusillade of bullets zinged off their metal shield. None penetrated it, but Raluca jumped at every one. The terror of the battle had caught up with her, and she was trembling all over. But she forced herself to calm down. She had to take care of Nick. Protect him, as he’d protected her. Only then, when she’d pushed down her panic, did she realized that maybe she could.
“Did you ever get another vial of heartsease?” Raluca whispered.
“Yeah.” Nick gave a jerk of his chin toward his jacket pocket. “In there. If it’s not smashed. But dragons aren’t bulletproof. And even if you go invisible, Grigor will be able to see you. Just like you could see him and point so I could shoot him. I’m sure that’s why he’s still hiding, the coward.”
Raluca was already unzipping his pocket. “I don’t think he’ll stay hiding for much longer. How many bullets do you have left?”
“Got you thinking like a bodyguard at last,” Nick remarked. But the lightness left his tone as he admitted, “Not a lot. And you’re right, he’ll come out as soon as he thinks I’ve run out of ammo. Or else he’ll send some of his mooks as a diversion, and force me to use it up on them. But you were fast enough to catch me! If you can shift, you can get us out of here.”
Raluca’s heart sank as she again touched a pocketful of sharp fragments. Like the phone, the vial had smashed in the fall. Looking up at Nick’s hopeful face, she was forced to shake her head.
The disappointment she saw struck her like a blow. That had been his last hope, she realized.
“Won’t the police have been called?” she asked. “All these gunshots...”
“This is a business area. No one’s around to hear. If anyone was, the cops would’ve been here by now.” Nick’s eyes narrowed, his long lashes flickering as he thought. Finally, he said, “I’ll hold them off for as long as I can. If we wait long enough, who knows, maybe someone will come by. But when Grigor and Price make their move, listen for my go. When you hear it, run. I’ll cover you. Go get help.”
As more bullets ricocheted against their shield, Raluca knew it for a hopeless plan. Nick meant to sacrifice himself for even the slightest possibility of her escape, but it was barely a chance at all. And it was one she would not take.
“Nick,” Raluca said, gently but in a tone that could not be denied. “I will not leave you to die alone.”
“But —”
She put her finger over his lips. “I will not. Do not waste our last moments arguing. You would not leave me. I will not leave you. Your plan would only have us die apart. I prefer to stay with you.”
Nick opened his mouth, but she pressed harder until he closed it and nodded. Then she took her hand away. She couldn’t hold him for fear of hurting him more, so she leaned in and kissed his lips. He responded with a desperate passion, but only for a few seconds. Then he pulled away, keeping watch.
He couldn’t touch her with his hands, with one arm injured and one holding his gun. But he leaned his head against hers, so their cheeks pressed together and his damp hair mingled with hers.
“I love you,” he said. “We got to dance together tonight. You flew with me. You met my friends. We made love under your sky. I don’t regret a fucking thing.”
Raluca’s eyes burned with tears, but her heart was strangely light. The fear and bitterness had left her, and she no longer raged against the unfairness of the universe. “Neither do I. These last few days have made my entire life worthwhile. I love you. I would rather be here with you now then safe in a palace, alone.”
Grigor’s voice rose in a shout. “He’s out of ammunition! Go get him!”
Raluca didn’t move. Nor did Nick. His gun hand was steady as they sat together, ready for the end.
A burst of flame lit the alley. Hot air buffeted Raluca and blew Nick’s hair back.
A golden dragon swooped down. Three people rode him, but he was moving too fast for Raluca to recognize them. More enemies? Raluca had another cousin who was gold...
The dragon breathed another billow of flame. Yells arose from farther down the alley.
“Can you see the dragon?” Raluca asked.
But Nick obviously could. Despite his pain, his face cracked into the biggest grin she’d ever seen. “It’s Lucas! And he’s brought the cavalry!”
The golden dragon landed. Now Raluca could recognize his riders: Hal, Rafa, and Destiny. They were armed and wore bulletproof vests, but they’d obviously come in haste; Hal’s vest was strapped over pajamas, and Rafa’s over his bare chest. Destiny still wore her pretty club dress but, Raluca noticed with a touch of envy, had switched out her dancing heels for sturdy boots.
Hal, Destiny, and Rafa scattered to do batt
le with their hidden enemies. Lucas launched into the air, then arrowed along the alley. Bright sparks whirled above a dumpster, and then a brass dragon flew up to meet Lucas in mid-air.
The crack of gunshots made Raluca jump.
“Don’t be scared,” Nick said. “The team will protect us.”
The absolute confidence in his voice made Raluca relax as well. More in fascination than fear, she watched as the two dragons soared upward, out of the narrow alley, and began to battle in the sky, high overhead. They darted in and out, flashes of brass and gold, lighting the darkness with bursts of orange flame.
A blur of motion caught Raluca’s eye. Before she could open her mouth to shout, something big and heavy slammed into her and Nick, knocking them both down. Raluca’s shoulder and elbow banged against the ground, and Nick’s gun flew from his hand and skidded across the cement.
Raluca had only a confused glimpse of black fur and white fangs before Nick shoved her out of the way. Hard. She went flying, and again landed painfully. Dazed, she lay still for a moment. Then she realized that Nick would only have done that if she was in deadly danger. Which meant that he must be in deadly danger.
She scrambled up, and saw two wolves where Nick had been. It was the first time she’d seen Nick’s wolf, apart from the photo, but she recognized him immediately: the wiry body, the soft gray fur, and the green eyes, now blazing with battle rage. The wolf attacking him was big and black, with yellow eyes.
Nick’s wolf lay sprawled on the pavement with two legs limp and useless, his fur stained everywhere with blood. But he was fighting anyway, propping himself on his good legs and snapping ferociously. Incredibly, Nick was keeping the black wolf at bay. The black wolf darted in and out, forcing Nick to turn quickly back and forth. With his injuries, that had to be excruciatingly painful. He was holding his own out of sheer determination. But any moment now, he’d move a fraction too slowly, and the black wolf would kill him.
The black wolf had to be Price, Raluca realized suddenly. Who else could hold such hatred in his yellow eyes? Who else would be so honorless and cowardly as to attack Nick when he was wounded and barely able to defend himself?
She looked around for help, but nobody was in sight. Raluca shouted anyway. “Hal! Destiny! Rafa! Nick needs you!”
But from the yelling and gunshots, and the roars and growls and howls, the team was busy fighting their own battles. She doubted they’d even heard her.
Then Raluca remembered Nick’s gun and ran to pick it up. She pointed it at Price, then hesitated. She’d never fired a gun before, and the two wolves were practically on top of each other. If she shot at Price, she’d probably either miss entirely, or hit Nick.
Price snarled, feinted, then rushed in, biting at Nick’s throat. A scream burst from Raluca’s lips. Nick whipped his head around, protecting his throat, but the black wolf sank his fangs into Nick’s shoulder.
Raluca bolted forward and swung the gun like a club. Price didn’t have time to release his grip. She connected solidly with his head.
Price let go of Nick with a snarl of pain, then his yellow eyes fixed on her. His lips writhed away from his shining fangs as he gathered himself to leap for her throat.
A hand closed over hers, twisting her wrist. The gun fired.
Price fell dead at her feet.
Stunned, Raluca looked down. Nick sat naked and bleeding among the shredded ruins of his clothing, his hand still wrapped around hers with his finger on the trigger.
“Thanks.” Nick’s voice was barely audible. His skin had gone from white to ashen, his features taut with pain. Sweat beaded his face, but he was shivering. “I... I think I’m...”
She dropped to her knees, letting go of the gun, and caught him just as his eyes slid shut. He collapsed against her chest, his head falling to the side to rest against her shoulder.
Raluca could feel him breathing, shallow and fast. He was very cold. She held him close, hoping to warm him with her own body. Then she reached out for the remains of his shirt. Maybe she could use it for bandages.
A man stepped out of the shadows. For an instant, Raluca thought it was Shane; he was about the same height and had the same leanly muscled build, the same predatory grace, and even the same way of emerging from darkness. Then she saw his sharp features and eyes black as a midnight sky. The man was a stranger.
She snatched up the gun and pointed it in his general direction. “Get away from my mate!”
The stranger put his hands in the air. He didn’t smile, but something about his body language suggested that he was only doing it to humor her. “Easy. I’m a friend.”
Raluca wasn’t taking any chances. “Back off.”
Patiently, the dark-eyed man said, “I have medical training. I can help him. Feel free to hold me at gunpoint while I’m doing it, if you like.”
Raluca hesitated. The offer to help Nick was tempting, but she had no idea who the man was or if he could be trusted. And once he got close, he could easily disarm her.
Nick moved in her arms, then caught himself with a groan. His eyes fluttered open, his gaze drifting from her to the man before them.
“What’re you doing here?” Nick mumbled.
“Well, I’m trying to help you,” the stranger replied. Gesturing at Raluca, he said, “But I’ve hit a bit of a roadblock.”
“Let him,” Nick said to Raluca.
“You know him?” Raluca asked. She’d normally trust Nick’s judgment, but he sounded dazed.
“Sort of. He’s a...” Nick looked uncertain, then settled on, “Well, Shane knows him.”
“Should I stand guard?” Raluca asked doubtfully. She could still hear fighting in the distance. Overhead, Lucas and Grigor were a pair of bright sparks in the sky, darting and flashing like shooting stars.
The man shook his head. “I’ll do that too. Anything comes close, I’ll be on it. You just keep holding him.”
Raluca glanced at Nick. He nodded his agreement, looking more clear-headed. “Shane trusts him.”
She laid down the gun.
The dark-eyed man came forward and began examining Nick in a way that made it obvious that he did, in fact, have medical training. She could feel Nick trying not to flinch, though the man’s touch seemed gentle. Since Nick was done with the gun, she took his left hand in hers. He gripped it hard every time the man touched an especially painful spot. The stranger’s dark gaze flicked to their hands every time; nothing seemed to escape him.
Hoping to distract Nick, she asked, “That was Price, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. Fucking coward. He nearly got me, though.” Nick managed the faintest flicker of a smile. “But you wreaked vengeance on him, just like you said you would. Not fiery, but you can’t have everything.”
“Who’s Price?” the stranger asked.
“The black wolf,” Nick said. When the stranger continued to look puzzled, Nick added, “An old enemy.”
“He did all that to you?” the man asked incredulously.
“No, Price just bit me,” Nick said. “Before that, I jumped off a building. And then I got shot.”
“Oh. Well, that explains everything.” The stranger spoke in the same gently sardonic tone as when he’d offered to let Raluca hold him at gunpoint. “You really ought to go to the nearest ER —”
“No!” Nick exclaimed.
The man went on as if Nick hadn’t said a thing, “But since you can’t, have someone take you to Dr. Bedford. It’s a long haul, but you need a doctor, not just a paramedic. Your leg’s broken in at least three places. I can splint it, but you need to get it set by someone with more training than me. And soon, before it starts healing crooked.”
“I know. My shoulder too, right?”
The dark-eyed man shook his head. “That’s just dislocated. I can fix that for you right now.”
Nick flinched. “Oh, fuck. Yeah, go ahead. Get it over with.”
The man’s eyebrows rose. “What do you think I’m going to do? Pull on it?”
“Aren’t you? That’s how I’ve seen it done.”
“Who have you seen do that?” The man seemed appalled at the idea.
“This sleazy guy who treated gangsters out of his apartment.”
“Oh. Well, let’s see if I can improve on that standard.”
The man lifted Nick’s right arm. Raluca braced herself for him to do something painful, and she could feel Nick doing the same. But though the man began moving and rotating Nick’s arm and hand, he did it slowly and carefully. Finally, he folded Nick’s arm across his chest, then turned his palm over. There was a sharp pop, and Nick yelped in pain. But an instant later, he heaved a sigh of relief, and some of his tension eased.
“Nice job,” came a voice from beside them.
Raluca almost jumped out of her skin. Nick tried to, but the man put a hand against his chest, holding him in place. Shane had somehow appeared without either of them noticing him, and was standing next to them with a gun in one hand and a first-aid kit in the other, and several blankets draped over his arm.
“About time,” said the dark-eyed man. “I thought I’d have to use what’s left of his clothes.”
“Nah. I came prepared.” Shane knelt beside Nick and opened the kit.
“Wait.” Urgently, Nick asked him, “Do you have heartsease? Raluca needs it.”
Shane’s hard face creased in concern. He instantly reached into his pocket and handed Raluca a vial. She gulped it down. The pain in her arm vanished, and the chill that had invaded her body eased. She wished Nick could be healed so easily.
Her dragon, whom she’d been unable to reach since her fall, stirred within her, wings rustling. We must fly to protect our mate!
He needs us right here, Raluca sent back.
Her dragon subsided, but Raluca felt her simmering frustration.
Now that her pain was gone and her worry for Nick had eased, she began to notice things that she’d missed earlier. Shane wore jeans and a T-shirt, with a bulletproof vest and a holster strapped over his clothes. But when Raluca took a closer look, she noticed that he’d put his shirt on backwards. The entire team had obviously come in great haste.