by J. D. Tyler
“Kalen,” Nick yelled.
But the Sorcerer was already on the job, sending out a spell to stop Micah’s plunge and bring him toward where they were parked. As Micah floated toward him, Nick’s heart sank. The young wolf was a torn, bloodied mess, clothing hanging from his body in ribbons and wide gashes visible in his flesh.
Finally Kalen lowered him gently into their waiting hands, and they eased his battered body into the back of the lead SUV, where someone had already put down the seats and covered them with blankets. Zan waited there to keep him stable during the drive back to the compound.
“Goddammit, look at him,” Aric whispered, his face a mask of rage. “And that fucker got away.”
“We’ll get him.” Nick gripped his shoulder. “In the meantime, we need to get Micah back. Let’s hurry.”
Nick climbed into the back with Zan, and they were on their way. Micah’s eyes were closed, and his breath rattled in his lungs, the sound wet as he struggled. “Hang on, Micah. You’ve been through too much to give up now. You’re a survivor—remember that.”
“I’m not going to let him die,” Zan said, his jaw set determinedly. Placing both hands on his patient’s chest, he began to work.
The blue glow enveloped Zan’s hands and then spread to Micah’s upper extremities. Then on to the rest of his body. The entire ride, Zan never let up, nor did he speak.
As they pulled up to Sanctuary, Nick noted that Micah seemed to be breathing a little easier. The blood flow had slowed as well. The back doors were yanked open, and Zan slumped backward, clearly worn-out. “I did all I can,” he said hoarsely. “He’s a fucking disaster inside. The monster’s talons got some major organs.”
“You did good,” Nick assured him.
Mac nodded as she and Noah prepared to get their patient onto a gurney. “You did, my friend. We’ll take it from here.”
Nick and Aric helped load Micah onto the stretcher; then Mac and Noah took off with their charge. “I’ve never felt so useless.”
From beside Nick, Aric’s voice was quiet. “You did what you could. God, what am I going to say to Rowan?”
Just then, Rowan came jogging around the corner and across the drive toward to where they stood near the emergency entrance. Selene, Zan’s mate, was with her.
“Dad!” Selene called to Nick. “What happened?”
“Micah was attacked,” he said to the women. Their faces reflected their shock and worry. “By that creature who’s after him.”
“Is my brother going to be okay?” Rowan clutched at her mate. “Tell me the truth.”
“He’s in good hands, baby.”
That wasn’t an answer, and they knew it. But it was the best they had. As the women held on to their mates, Nick dug out his cell phone and placed the one call he dreaded the most.
“Hello?” Jacee answered.
* * *
Shouted orders reached his ears.
He was flying. No, bumping along, moving fast. Feet running beside him.
Everything hurt. Breathing was agony. Cracking open his eyes, he was nearly blinded by white light and too much movement. But as his vision cleared a bit, he saw walls and doorways rushing past. At his side was someone in nurse’s scrubs with SpongeBob characters all over them.
Noah. “Hey, you’re back. Stay with us, okay?”
“I’ll try,” Micah said. Or thought he did. He turned his head to try to look where they were headed, and that was when he saw her in the hallway. Sitting calmly, oddly enough. “Jacee?”
Reaching out, he tried to take her hand as the gurney rolled past, and her surprise struck him as odd. He couldn’t see well, blood and sweat in his eyes, but . . . it had been her. Right?
No, wait. The face was too young, the hair too light. His mistake.
Then the doctors and nurses were pulling him into an operating room, or at least that was his guess. A mask went over his nose and mouth, and a sting pricked his arm. Things grew fuzzy again, and he began to float away.
“You’re going to be all right,” Noah said, his kind blue eyes gazing down at Micah.
If only he could believe that.
Then he knew nothing more.
* * *
Jacee. Please believe in me. I love you.
I do believe in you, and I’m so sorry. I love you, too. Micah?
He didn’t answer, and she paced for a while. Should she go after him? She wouldn’t know where to look, though, besides the Grizzly, and he hadn’t had time to get there yet.
When she saw Nick’s number on the caller ID about a half an hour later, she wasn’t too worried, initially. Micah hadn’t been gone all that long, and she figured the commander was trying to reach his team member for some reason. Micah wouldn’t be able to answer while riding.
“Hello?”
“It’s Nick. I need you to stay calm,” he began.
Immediately, her heart kicked in her chest. “What’s wrong?”
“We’ve got Micah over at Sanctuary. He’s been attacked.”
Shoving the phone in her front pocket, Jacee ran, not waiting to hear the rest. In the wake of her panic, exhaustion fled. Her feet flew as she raced down the corridors, finally coming to the connecting passage between the main building and Sanctuary. Quickly, fingers shaking, she punched in the code, hitting the wrong buttons the first time and cursing; then she let herself in and took off again.
Nick was waiting for her at the lobby level, and one glance at the sorrowful expression on his face sent her heart plummeting to her toes. Rushing up to him, she grabbed his shirt—and realized it was covered in drying blood. Shaking her head, refusing to accept what that meant, she met his gaze.
“I’m sorry,” he began. “I didn’t have time to change clothes yet.”
“How is he?”
“They took him into surgery. We don’t know anything yet.”
“You know more than you’re saying.” Of that, Jacee was certain. He couldn’t hide the anxiety brimming in his eyes.
“Not here. There’s a private waiting room upstairs.”
Her mate’s condition was bad, then. Her legs barely supported her as they started off for the elevator, and Nick gently took her arm. When they reached the right floor, she was hardly aware of anything around her because she was concentrating so hard on making sure her bond with her mate was still solid.
What she found was frightening. The thread was wavering, thin and weak. That, more than anything they could say, told her just how terrible the attack had been and that Micah’s life was literally on the line.
The commander led her into the private waiting room, which, as it turned out, wasn’t all that private. Zan and Selene were there, along with Aric and Rowan. The Healer’s shirt was covered in blood as well, and she fought not to be sick.
As soon as Micah’s sister and brother-in-law spotted her, they walked straight over and enveloped her in a group hug, saying nothing for several long moments. When they let her go, Aric took her arm and guided her to a chair, where he made her sit. He took one side of her, Rowan the other. Aric spoke first.
“We’re not gonna lie to you, Jacee. It’s bad.”
She swallowed hard, fighting back tears. “I can feel how weak our bond is. Tell me who or what did this.”
“That monster who’s after him waited for his chance and took it.” Aric’s jaw clenched with anger. “It attacked while he was out on his motorcycle, caused him to wreck. He didn’t stand a chance.”
Nick lowered himself into a chair across from them. “I don’t understand why he’d take a risk like that, especially after I warned him about my vision, more than once.”
“Vision? What vision?” Jacee gazed at the commander in dread.
“He never told you?” Nick released a heavy sigh. “I foresaw tonight’s attack, but I didn’t know when it would happen. I’ve warned Micah on more than one occasion to look out for it.”
“And he never told me.” She couldn’t wrap her head around that.
“He was probably trying to protect you,” the commander said gently. “And it wasn’t my place to interfere.”
“This is my fault,” she whispered. “We argued, and I drove him away.”
“No, you absolutely did not. He forgot my warning and went to blow off some steam, that’s all. But he either got my messages or remembered just in time to change the original outcome, because he’s still alive.”
She blinked at Nick. “Y-you mean, he should’ve died?”
He gave a brief nod. “In my vision, he wrecked when the creature attacked and was killed when he hit a tree and broke his neck. Tonight, he managed to avoid the tree.”
“But he could still . . . Have you seen a new outcome?” she asked anxiously.
“I’m afraid not. All we can do is wait.”
As endless minutes dragged by, she hated sitting, not knowing what was going on in surgery. At one point Rowan took her hand and Jacee squeezed it like a lifeline, concentrating on the fragile bond between herself and Micah. Exhaustion and the day took their toll, however, and she wasn’t aware she’d started to doze.
Until the bond began to flicker, like a lightbulb losing power. And finally burning out.
Instantly awake, she bolted upright in her chair. “Micah?”
“What’s wrong?” Rowan asked.
“Our bond,” she gasped, pushing to her feet. Frantic, she clutched her chest, seeking the golden thread. But there was only a gaping void where her mate should have been. “Micah!”
Around Jacee, the others stirred. Nick stood as well, and started toward her. But before anyone could stop her, she was out of the room, searching for her mate. The only one who would ever complete her. She set her coyote’s senses free, seeking him out, ignoring the staff who attempted to stop her from entering a set of double doors marked RESTRICTED AREA.
Pushing through them, she followed her mate’s scent to another door halfway down the hall marked OR-3 and barged inside. The sight of a team of doctors and nurses standing over her beloved mate, administering CPR, made her blood run cold.
“No.” The word emerged as a sob, and her hand went over her mouth. “Micah?”
One of the doctors raised her head and snapped, “Somebody get her out of here.”
She recognized the voice as Melina’s, but had eyes only for the man on the operating table. His face was obscured by the oxygen mask, his eyes closed, dark brown hair like an ink spill on the white of the sheets underneath him.
This couldn’t be possible. Her mate couldn’t be dead.
A howl rose from the depths of her soul, and she shifted.
And cried out her grief to the heavens.
Twelve
The coyote’s howl was distant. But it still reached the quiet room where Nick waited with Micah’s small family. High and mournful, it caused chill bumps to break out on Nick’s arms, and dread to darken his heart.
Rowan’s face was pale as she stood, trembling. “No. Nick. Tell me it’s not true. Not after all he’s been through. Tell me it doesn’t end like this.”
“I wish I could,” he said miserably. “I just don’t know.”
She stared at Nick, then looked at Aric. “I have to go to him.”
Her mate shook his head, his expression sad, but his voice firm. “No, sweetheart. The docs have their hands full right now. They’ll tell us—”
“I want to see my brother! You can’t keep me from him!”
She started for the door, but Aric stopped her, wrapping her in his arms. Struggling, she put up a good fight at first, but soon sagged in his arms and let him hold her. Her shoulders shook with sobs as Aric whispered comforting words they all hoped were true.
Rowan was right, Nick thought. It wasn’t supposed to end like this for Micah. None of this was fair. He tried to summon a vision, but couldn’t force one. They didn’t work that way.
“Hold her,” he said to Aric. “I’m going to see if I can find out what’s going on.”
Aric nodded grimly, and Nick strode out of the room.
* * *
“Jacee, we need your help!”
Distantly, she heard someone calling to her, but couldn’t make sense of it through the sadness pouring from her heart and soul. Hands shook her, hard, and she stopped howling, peering with her coyote’s eyes at the intruder on her grief.
“Shift back,” Mac commanded. “Now. If you want to help your mate, shift. Understand?”
Mate. Help him?
That penetrated the fog, and Jacee obeyed, shifting back to human form. She was briefly tangled in her clothing, but the doctor quickly helped her straighten the garments and get to her feet.
“What can I do?” Jacee asked, her voice thick with tears. “He’s gone.”
“We’ve got a machine breathing for him, buying some time. We’re going to give him some of your blood, and we’ve called Calla, Nick’s mate. She’s on her way to donate as well.”
Hope sparked in Jacee’s chest. “Whatever will save him. I’m ready.”
“I can’t promise this will work, but we’re doing our best.”
“I know, but it’s a chance, right?”
“Yes, the best one he has.”
Jacee followed Mac, shaking so violently she thought she might throw up. This couldn’t fail. Could not. If Micah didn’t make it, she’d have no reason to go on. No desire left.
“We’re going to do two transfusions,” Melina said, pulling Jacee to a chair beside Micah. “One from you and one from Calla to give him that rich, healing vampire blood. She’ll be here any second, so let’s start yours. Both will be direct from the source to your mate.”
The faster, the better, as far as Jacee was concerned. Once she was seated, Noah stretched out her arm on a small platform attached to the chair, designed for taking blood. Then he wrapped a stretchy rubber tube around her arm above the elbow and felt for a good vein. When he was satisfied, he wasted no time sliding the needle in and starting the flow into the tubing directly to Micah’s left arm.
“Blood flow from the left arm goes to the heart first,” Mac explained.
Jacee just nodded, anxiously watching her mate. The machine continued to breathe for him, but there was no spark of life. Not yet. Even though there was still a black void where their bond should have been, she reached out through their mental link. If there was any chance, she had to try.
Come on, honey. I know you’re tired and hurt. But you can do this. Don’t leave me here without you. Please.
Melina readied the pads on her mate’s chest and nodded to Noah. A shock jolted Micah’s body, and the line on the heart monitor jumped a couple of times and went flat again.
Another shock. Four blips.
Calla burst into the OR, Nick on her heels. Jacee didn’t know the vampire princess well, but she’d never been so glad to see anyone, ever. If her blood couldn’t save Micah—
“Okay, time to switch,” Noah said briskly. Working fast, he removed the needle and tubing from Jacee, wiped the puncture, and applied a cotton ball and strip of medical tape.
Jacee moved so Calla could take her place in the chair, and Noah repeated the procedure all over again. She was amazed at how speedy he was, hands steady, completely calm, at least on the outside.
When Jacee crept to Micah’s side and took one of his hands, nobody stopped her. His skin was too cool, but not cold. Not yet. Lashes like black lace fanned across his cheeks, and his hair was silky around his face and neck. He could’ve been sleeping—if it weren’t for the bloody, partially healed gashes on his chest and stomach and the multitude of other wounds.
Come back to me, baby. You can do it.
Several blips.
That’s it. Reach out to me, Micah! Can you hear me? Fight for us!
Just then, the bond flared to life, so bright and sudden the brilliance of the reconnection took her breath away. Every eye in the room turned to her, silently questioning.
“I feel our bond,” she gasped. “It’s there!”
And t
hen the heart monitor began a steady beep. This time, it didn’t stop.
There was a collective sigh of relief, and a few murmurs of thanks to whatever gods where listening. Jacee sagged and would’ve hit the floor if it hadn’t been for Nick’s quick reaction.
Melina turned to Jacee, her tone much kinder than before. “We’re going to stabilize him, and we may have to remove his spleen and a kidney if they don’t heal. Nick and Calla will go with you back to the waiting room, and we’ll come talk to you as soon as we can.”
“Thank you.” Jacee’s voice was barely a whisper. “So much.”
As Nick and his mate accompanied Jacee from the room, she glanced back at Micah. Stay strong. Keep making your way back to me. I’m not going anywhere. I love you.
There was no answer, but she was patient. As long as he was still in the world, she could wait.
The next two hours seemed like forever, but at last the waiting room door opened. Rowan, drained from crying, was asleep on the sofa with her head in Aric’s lap when Mac and Melina came into the room. Aric shook his mate awake, and when she saw the doctors, she bolted upright, rubbing her eyes.
Jacee stood, ready to face whatever they had to say. She knew her mate was alive—the bond was still humming and strengthening every minute.
“Micah’s going to recover,” Melina said, giving them a rare smile. “That man is one of the bravest fighters I’ve ever seen.”
“Thank God,” Rowan said. Aric took her hand. “What about the surgery?”
“We had to take his spleen and appendix. They were too damaged to heal properly, even with the vampire blood. The kidney repaired itself, however, as did the gashes and other cuts, abrasions, and broken bones.”
Jacee sighed with relief. “Is he in a room? Can I stay with him?”
“They’re moving him now. Shouldn’t be too long. Noah will come get you, okay?”
“All right.”
Nick and Calla stayed until Noah showed up and then excused themselves. “Family first,” Nick said, in spite of the others’ protests that they were family. “We’ll come tomorrow, after everyone’s rested.”