Wicked Bite

by Rebecca Zanetti

  Yeah. His face hurt, his head pounded, and a bone in his chest felt like it might be broken. He wasn’t completely healed yet from his brush with being a dragon.

  Garrett leaned around the other side and fired quickly, ducking to avoid the return fire. “I’m almost out,” he said. He shook his head, and blood arced across the back of the table. “One other thing.”

  “Don’t say it,” Bear snapped, handing over two of the stolen guns. “I know.”

  Nick checked his clip and snarled. “They knew we were coming, so that means they know headquarters is without us.”

  “You said it. I said not to,” Bear hissed, leaning up and shooting toward the bartender again, who ducked quickly. The man had the biggest gun, and he needed to be stopped—now. “We have more guards than ever at territory. Unless there’s an air strike, Ness and Simone are safe.” Their enemy had hired rogue wolves for an attack. If they had had an army, they would’ve used it. “Let’s just get out of here.”

  Garrett fired and then stopped. “How? I’m out of my bullets.” He picked up both extra guns. “We need a plan.”

  Bear handed over his gun and the final extra one to Nick. “This is all I have left.”

  Shots pinged into the table, several bullets penetrating the wood and going right through. One whizzed by Bear’s ear. “Shit.” He had to think. This was his fault, damn it. There were at least ten men facing them, all armed and probably prepared to shift into wolves if necessary.

  It probably wasn’t.

  Nick fired again and then dropped down, a bloody slice cut along his temple.

  Bear grabbed his head. “You got hit.”

  Nick shrugged him off. “I’m fine.” The blood slid down to coat his collar.

  Bear swallowed. “All right. You guys duck and cover your heads. I’m going to shift in the air and go for the bartender. The second I clear the bar, you shoot with the remaining bullets.”

  “I could perpetrate a mind attack,” Nick said. “But it’ll take you guys out at close quarters, and I won’t be able to shoot during. If they rush me . . .”

  “No. I shift.” Demons could attack minds, but Bear needed his intact to get out of this. He drew in air. “It’s the only way.”

  Something banged against the front door. Hard.

  Static came across the comm units. “Get to the back of the room. Now,” hissed a hoarse demon voice.

  “Logan?” Garrett asked.

  “Yeah. Get ready.” An engine roared, and suddenly the entire front wall of the bar crashed in. Bodies went flying. Garrett shoved a gun into Bear’s hand, and they all three stood, firing in every direction, running for the truck.

  Logan shoved open the passenger-side door, firing through the window toward the bartender.

  Garrett jumped inside and fell over the center console to the back seat. Bear shoved Nick in and then jumped in behind him, turning and firing. A bullet pierced his arm. “Go, go, go.”

  Logan slammed the truck into reverse and punched the gas. They squealed out of the bar and flipped around.

  Men stumbled out of the demolished bar, two still firing guns. Bear plugged one between the eyes, while Nick caught the other in the neck.

  The bartender ran out, pumping his huge gun. Bear and Nick fired simultaneously, hitting the asshole in the head. He went down, his gun flying into the air. A head shot wouldn’t kill him, but he wouldn’t be shooting at anybody for a while.

  “Where is Lucas?” Bear asked.

  “Dunno,” Logan said, leaning over the steering wheel. A purple knot swelled on his temple. “When they locked the back door, he told me to take point, and he ran around the front.” Logan flipped the lights on.

  Bear looked frantically around. “God. There he is.” Lucas’s legs stuck out from a side alley. He had to be okay. Bear leaped from the truck and ran over to his friend, grabbing him up. “Luke? Luke.” He shook his second-in-command.

  Lucas’s head lolled, and he blinked. A raw gash bled across his entire forehead. “Bear?”

  Thank God. Bear dragged him back to the truck and lifted him inside, jumping in after him. “Go, Logan. Go.”

  The kid stomped down on the gas, and they lurched down the street.

  Nick grabbed a cell phone out of the jockey box. “I’ll call it in.” He dialed and held the device to his ear. “It’s Veis. We—” The demon stopped speaking.

  Tension, raw and fierce, rolled through the cab. Horrible pain and images slammed into Bear’s brain, and he shut his eyes. “Nick.”

  The demon mind attack stopped. Bear opened his eyes, feeling as if a boulder had landed in his gut. “What?”

  “We’re on the way,” Nick said, disengaging the call. “Attack on headquarters—from the air. Both Simone and Nessa were hit.”

  Chapter 29

  Nessa settled Simone on the wide bed in the master bedroom, fluffing her pillows. Simone groaned and clutched her stomach, pulling up her knees.

  Panic choked off Nessa’s breathing. “You’ll be okay.” She shucked her sweater, leaving only her blouse. “Hold on. Take deep breaths.” The dart she’d taken was slowing her movements, and she tried to shrug it off.

  “It’s too early,” Simone gasped, her face twisting in pain. “Even for immortals. Four months is too early.”

  Nessa soothed the hair back from her face. “Deep breaths.”

  Jasper came to the door. “We’ve secured the premises and ordered the helicopters up for air support.”

  Nessa tried to calm herself. “Thanks. I need my uncle. Send Boondock.”

  “He’s out cold, Nessa. Took several knife wounds to the neck and upper chest.” Jasper wiped blood off his chin. His face was a bruised mess, and his lip double its usual size. “Boondock will be out cold for hours. Can I do anything?”

  “No.” Nessa shot him a smile, her body seizing. “Just shut the door. Thanks.”

  He shut the door quietly.

  Nessa moved up the bed to sit next to Simone. “All right, Simone. Let’s see what we can do to heal you.” She kept her voice soft as she placed her hands over Simone’s chest. Heat instantly burned her. “You have some Apollo damage going on, but we can fix that.”

  “W-why aren’t you slower? I saw a dart,” Simone panted out.

  “Dunno,” Nessa said. “The dart just glanced me. I feel fine. Let’s work on you.” Actually, she was nauseated and her head hurt like she’d been kicked in both temples, but she could do this. She had to do this.

  Tears slid down Simone’s aristocratic face. “I can’t lose this baby. I just can’t.”

  “Shhh.” Nessa kept one hand on Simone’s upper chest and placed her other one low on the woman’s abdomen. She breathed in and shut her eyes, trying to feel the damage.

  A little heartbeat pressed against her energy. “Okay. The baby is all right.” She searched for damage, easily finding an amniotic sac ripped down the side. Though she couldn’t actually see the damage, she could feel it. “Simone? I need you to breathe in and out and try to calm yourself. I know it’s tough.”

  “What’s going on? What do you know?” Simone’s voice was shrill. She moved restlessly and tightened her body. Pain flared through her, transmitting itself to Nessa. “Please.”

  “Two things are going on. First, your body is reacting to the Apollo by heating your internal organs. I can counter that. Second, the baby is in danger, but I can sew up the sac and make sure she’s nice and safe.”

  “She?” Simone panted.

  Nessa widened her fingers across Simone’s abdomen. “Aye. You have a very strong demon-witch female in there, and we’re garna help her to survive. Both of you will survive.” There was so much damage. How could Nessa secure the baby and still fight the Apollo in Simone’s blood and organs? “But you need to help me.” She wasn’t that strong. Nobody was that strong.

  “How?” Simone arched off the bed, fire dancing on her lips.

  “I need you to shut your eyes, breath in and out, and calm your body. You have m
ore control than you think. Let’s slow your heartbeat. Come on.” Nessa imagined a chilly healing balm spreading around Simone’s heart. At the same time, she created a gel-like bandage to cover the sac holding the baby.

  “I’m still bleeding,” Simone whispered.

  “Doesn’t matter.” Nessa soothed another layer of gel over the sac. “The baby doesn’t need that blood. The baby needs you to breathe and slow your heart rate. Now.”

  Simone settled back on the pillow, another tear leaking out of her eye. “Okay.” She drew in air, pushing out her chest, and then exhaled slowly.

  “Good,” Nessa said, her hands and arms starting to shake. Another layer around the baby. Then she turned her attention to Simone’s liver, which was vibrating with heat. The organ shook as it started to burn. Simone moaned but kept still, breathing as evenly as she possibly could. Nessa sent ice over the liver.

  “I need Nick,” Simone whispered.

  “He’ll be here,” Nessa said, trying to force coolness around the kidneys. “Keep breathing. I need your blood to slow down a little.” Her thudding heart was spreading the drug too quickly. “You’re a tough, take-no-shit Councilwoman for the Coven Nine, Simone. You throw fire like a warrior.”

  “That’s true,” Simone whispered, her nails digging into the bedcovers. She groaned.

  “Good.” Nessa moved back to Simone’s heart to cool it more. “How’s your head?”

  “Hurts,” Simone muttered. “Protect the babe first.”

  If Simone died, so did the baby. “I will take care of her, don’t worry.” Nessa lifted her hand off Simone’s chest and covered her forehead. Heat filled her palm. She dug deep and created another soothing balm, forcing it through Simone’s skull.

  A ringing set up in Nessa’s ears. Blood dribbled from her nose, and she casually wiped it off. Her ears felt wet, and she ignored them.

  She rubbed circles over Simone’s abdomen, and the sac stitched up, quickly filling with fluid. The baby’s heart rate sped up to a healthy level. Nessa swayed and caught herself. She opened her eyes, but her vision narrowed to a pinprick and then went black. Her stomach rolled over. She shut her eyes and concentrated on the baby, keeping the protective gel in place for a while longer.

  Blood slid from her nose and over her mouth.

  “Nessa,” Simone said, not moving. “You’re bleeding.”

  Nessa wiped off her nose and opened her eyes but saw only blackness. “It’s all right. That’s normal,” she croaked, sounding like she was being choked. Her lungs heated until her chest burned.

  Simone grabbed her wrist. “Your eyes are bright violet. You need to stop. Rest.” She tried to push Nessa’s hand away from her chest.

  “I’m fine.” Nessa fought her, aiming for the kidneys again.

  “Your ears are bleeding,” Simone said urgently. “Stop for a minute. Please.”

  Nessa shook her head. “Here’s the deal, Simone. If I don’t heal you, your baby dies. So keep taking deep breaths and just focus internally.” Blood from her ears wound down her neck to her blouse.

  Simone gave a frustrated moan.

  “It’s okay.” Nessa was fading, and fast. She tried to heal more, but her strength was tapped. Her ability was gone.

  The baby wouldn’t make it. Neither would Simone.

  That was unacceptable. Nessa sucked in air and dug deep. For Bear. For an animalistic power to survive. She felt inside herself for him, looking for that power.

  Her body stilled. Bear. She pictured him—and she felt him. Mating him had changed her on a fundamental level. He wasn’t only a bear—he had dragon genes. Those were hers now. She could do this. Bear loved his sister, and that held power.

  Gathering her strength, Nessa pushed all her healing powers into her hand, creating a massive amount of imaginary cooling balm that she shoved into Bear’s sister’s body.

  Something exploded in Nessa’s head, and then there was only an odd black with violet edges filling her vision as she started to pass out.

  Then . . . nothing.

  * * *

  Bear barreled down the trail from the rec room toward the river house, fury and fear roaring through him. “Lucas? Get everyone the fuck off my property. At the end of the next hour, there will be no witches, no demons, and no vampires. Period. Call the entire grizzly shifter nation and get full troops here by the crack of dawn.” He jumped over a series of trees that had been downed by missiles. Missiles fired from helicopters.

  “Got it,” Lucas said, awake but bleeding. He’d taken a hard enough hit that his eyes were still dilated.

  Bear turned and grabbed him. “Put Jasper and Uncle Boondock in the cells belowground first. They were the only ones who knew where we were going tonight. Lock them down. Now.” He shoved him.

  Lucas stumbled back toward headquarters.

  Nessa had to be all right. She had to be. Same for Simone.

  Bear hadn’t felt fear since his childhood, and he’d forgotten how bad it could burn. Nick ran beside him, panic on his breath, murder in his eyes. The boys followed right behind, eyeing the forest, seeming on guard and protecting the two males frantically rushing for their mates.

  Bear could barely breathe. He’d left them. Nessa and Simone were on his property, in his protection, and they’d been hit. The intel wasn’t complete, so he had no clue what he was about to find.

  He almost stopped cold at seeing the shattered window and demolished side to the house. Bodies littered the deck, and he jerked his head at one of his men. “Only bear shifters here. Get everyone else the fuck off the property.” The shifter nodded. Bear stepped over his ruined porch, trying not to panic at seeing the damage to the living room. Had Nessa been in there? “If any attackers are alive, stick them in the cells underground.”

  Then he ran into the living room. “Nessa?” he yelled.

  “Simone?” Nick bellowed, shoving what was left of the couch out of the way.

  Bear turned for the master bedroom.

  He and Nick hit the door at the same time, sending it bouncing against the wall.

  Bear’s heart stopped. He swayed.

  Nessa was on the bed, blood pouring from her nose and ears. Wounds covered her, and her hands looked like they’d been burned in a campfire.

  Simone sat next to her, pale and bloody, panic in her eyes. She had tucked Nessa’s head onto her lap, and she was stroking her hair. “She won’t wake up.” Simone’s voice croaked as if her vocal cords had been shredded.

  Nick shoved his way to the other side of Simone and gathered her close. “Are you all right?”

  “I don’t know.” Her voice trembled. “I got hit with three darts—”

  “What?” Nick sat up, raw fury on his face. He looked down at her pants. “You’re bleeding.” His voice dropped. Pain rolled from him to clog the air.

  Bear couldn’t move.

  Simone nodded, tears spiking her lashes. “Yes. But Nessa put her hands on me, and she made the pain go away. There was a healing balm. She tried to save the baby, too.”

  Nick placed a hand on Simone’s stomach. “The baby?”

  “I’m not sure,” Simone whispered. “Nessa said she’s okay, but then Nessa passed out. I can’t get her to awaken.” She looked up at Bear.

  Bear’s legs almost gave out. He stepped slowly into the room, approaching the bed. “Ness?” His hand shook, but he reached out to touch her cheek. “Wake up, baby.” He dropped to his knees, his hand flattening over her head. “Wake up.”

  She didn’t move.

  He wiped the blood away from her nose. Her breath was shallow and somehow heated. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, tears clogging his throat. He’d failed to protect her. How had he thought for even one second that he could let her go? The woman was everything.

  His hands trembling, he lifted her off Simone’s lap and sat in the chair beside the bed, cradling her. Holding her close. “I’ll never let anybody hurt you again. Wake up, Ness. Please?” He kissed her damp forehead and then her mouth,
tasting blood.

  “Bear,” Nick said quietly, holding Simone close. “Mates can heal each other sometimes. See if you can take away her pain.”

  Bear had no clue how to be a mate. Obviously. He touched her forehead, trying to feel pain. All he felt was her soft skin. “Wake up.” He had no idea how to cure her. She had to be all right. How had he even thought about sending her away?

  His entire life had been leading up to her. The idea of no light, no chaos, no Nessa cut through him, sharper than any blade. He’d do anything—be anything. He tried to pull pain out of her head by using his fingers. They tingled. “Ness? I need you to wake up. Please.”

  She didn’t move.

  Bear’s head hung. “Nick?”

  “Yes?” the demon asked softly.

  God. This was impossible. “Can you help?” Bear asked, his chest shuddering. He could feel Nessa slipping away.

  Simone sucked in her breath.

  Yeah. It was unthinkable. Bear lifted his gaze to his friend. “Please.”

  Nick looked at him, his gaze dark. “I can get into your head, but I can’t help you heal her. I’m not sure what you’re asking.”

  Demons could attack or slide inside minds. Bear swallowed. “I need help tapping the dragon in me. There’s enough power deep down if I combine it with shifter strength. But I need to bridge the gap.”

  “No!” Simone said, struggling.

  Nick held her tight. “It might kill you, Bear.”

  “I don’t care.” There was no reason to fight to live if he let Nessa die. “Please?”

  Nick swallowed. “Shut your eyes.”

  Bear shut his eyes and relaxed his guard. Pinpricks edged into his brain, and he growled. His eyelids flipped open.

  Sweat dotted Nick’s upper lip. “You have to let me in. The blocks are too strong.”

  Damn it. For Nessa. Bear nodded and held her tighter, shoving his mental blocks to hell and making himself vulnerable for the first time since he was a kid. Nick could slice his brain in two and kill him if he wanted.

  The demon’s power touched Bear’s brain, sparking lights behind his eyes.