by Reese Monroe
Halena pressed her forefinger to her lips, telling Slade to stay quiet. She tapped her temple, then pointed ahead of them. He nodded, dagger raised.
She held up three fingers. He thumbed to his left as if reading her mind to come in from another side.
She took off running, better to face them head-on, create a distraction for Slade, and take them all down. It wasn’t like they could kill her, and she needed to let off a little steam if she was going to be stuck in the same vicinity as Slade for any length of time.
Tearing around the corner, she found the scene just as Addie had mentally described it. Dark. A demon held her, dagger to her neck and his other arm securing her to him.
One creature darted out to her left, and Halena palm-punched him, then buried her weapon in his gut. Who were these lame, newbie demons? Another charged, but Slade tackled him around the waist. Addie screamed.
Slade and the demon rolled. A burning-hot pain lanced through Halena’s stomach. She looked, expecting to see her abdomen gushing blood, but she was fine.
What was that, then? Was Addie hurt?
The creature tossed Addie to the ground and ran. Halena flipped her weapon and tossed it at the fleeing piece of shit. No vanquish, though. She needed him still so she could get some answers.
Addie stood, holding her hand to her neck. Blood spilled between her fingers. “Halena,” she said, then wilted to the ground.
Slade lopped off his demon’s head.
Halena sprinted to Addie.
“It hurts. It hurts.” Tears ran down Addie’s cheek.
“Not for long.” Halena pressed her hand over the wound and took the pain. Her neck throbbed, and she bit back a curse. “Hold on, Addie.”
After a few seconds, she pulled her hand away. “There you go, coquine. Better?”
She nodded, no longer looking sixteen years old but more like a young child scared out of her wits. Everything that had happened to her so early on in her life sure had taken its toll.
“Can you stand?”
“Yeah.”
Halena put Addie on her feet and stomped toward the demon she’d sunk her blade into. “Now, you’re going to talk.”
The demon groaned.
“Hurts, doesn’t it? The Mavet stings like a bugger, I hear. Now talk. What was this little setup about?”
“Hurts less than your Mate’s injury.” The demon sneered.
Halena kicked him in the balls. “Yeah? Well, how’s that? Now talk!”
A nagging pain flared in Halena’s side. It was pretty intense, considering she wasn’t stabbed. Wait. Was that a poisoned dagger? She whirled around and found Addie hunched over Slade.
The demon let out an eerie laugh. “Now you’re going to have to touch him!”
She slammed her foot on his chest. “That’s what this is all about? Me touching him? What the hell is going on?”
“You’ll see.” The demon lay back.
“Fine! Reverto ut Abyssus!”
“Halena. Help me!” Addie screamed. “Slade. Oh my God.”
Halena hurried to Addie and stood over her shoulder. Blood oozed from Slade’s stomach. Right where she’d felt the pain. So now she experienced his injuries?
“Take it from him. Hurry!” Addie said. “Like you did mine.”
“No way.” Theo.
Silence. Theo!
More silence.
She grabbed her phone and pressed his number on speed dial. “Addie. Run to the car. Get that blanket in the back.”
“Why aren’t you healing him? You did for me.” She stood, nostrils flaring, hands fisted. “Halena.”
“I can’t touch him, okay? Just go get the blanket.”
Theo’s voicemail picked up. “Come to the cabin. Slade’s hurt. It’s a poison dagger. Need you to heal him.”
You heal him. Theo’s voice encompassed Halena’s mind.
She looked at the phone and pressed end. Theo?
He’s yours to heal.
I can’t touch him.
Then if it is a poison dagger, he dies. Exactly what he’d asked for, and you won’t get a Mate. Win-win for you both, right?
Bastard. She didn’t necessarily want a Mate, but she didn’t want Slade to die, either.
Theo sent her a mental growl. The choice is yours.
But they did this on purpose. They want me to touch him.
Silence. Damn stubborn Gatekeeper.
Theo, just come and—
Get him to the cabin. I’ll be in touch.
Halena looked at her Mate. The demons had planned this. Why was it so important that he and she bond?
Slade grunted and rolled onto his back. His glazed eyes met hers. “It’s okay.” He coughed. “Shit!”
She looked up the alley and saw Addie running with a blanket.
“Promise me you’ll keep her safe,” he said.
“You’ve got my word as a Shomrei that I’ll keep her safe, but Theo will meet us at the cabin. You’ll be fine.”
Breathless, Addie handed the blanket to Halena, but she held up her hands. “Tuck it around him. Tight, like a burrito. Then I’ll get him to the car.” Halena glanced skyward. Please help me. What am I supposed to do?
“Done. Halena, hurry.” Addie tugged at Halena’s shirt. “What are you doing?”
She pushed the girl away and analyzed Slade. The only exposed skin was his face. Good, that should be okay. “I’m going to pick you up, Slade. Don’t touch me.”
He nodded.
She burrowed her arms beneath the blanket and hoisted him up. He remained stiff so his head didn’t flop toward her. Good thing she wore long sleeves.
Within ten minutes she had Slade tucked in the backseat, and she steered the vehicle down the road.
“Why won’t you touch him? He’s going to die.”
“No, he won’t.”
“Theo won’t come?”
“He’ll meet us at the cabin.” Hopefully. But what if he didn’t? Was Halena ready to touch Slade?
Hell, no. She couldn’t let him die, though. But if the demons wanted Halena to touch him, she shouldn’t. That’d be playing right into their hands. Shit!
“Halena!” Addie pounded on the dashboard. “Why won’t you do it? You healed me in two seconds. This is so much worse than mine. This dagger. It had a black—aura—around it. That means something. I feel it.”
She was right, it was poisoned, but how did Addie see the aura? “Tell me what you saw.”
“It’s not a normal dagger. It’s evil. Dark. And why would the demons stab him? Is it because he decided not to kill me?”
“Yeah.” Or not. Sounded like they wanted Halena to touch him to further the bond. What did they have planned? And what did this have to do with the Artifacts?
“You’re lying. I can tell. What’s going on?”
“Addster. Shhh,” Slade said from the darkness of the backseat. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”
She reached between the seats. Halena took a quick look and saw their hands were connected. Fat tears rolled down Addie’s cheeks.
Finally the cabin came into view. “Tuck that arm in, Slade. We’re here.”
“It’s okay, Addie,” he said.
She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re a coldhearted bitch, you know that?”
That hit Halena square in the gut. Shomrei warriors were tough, considering all the shit they had to handle. They had to be. Halena had been alone for over four centuries of it. And now her freaking Mate, one she didn’t want, was dying.
Great One, what am I to do?
Chapter Fourteen
“Come on, coquine. Let’s get you in bed.” Halena nudged Addie.
She’d fallen asleep half in her chair and half on Slade’s bed. The girl was going to get a kink in her neck for sure.
“I want to stay with Slade.”
“You snore so loud, he can’t sleep.” Halena all but lifted her up and urged her across the hall to her bedroom.
“I do n
ot snore.”
“Trust me, you do.” Not loud enough to wake anyone, but it was fun teasing her. “Just rest. He’s going to be fine.”
She could say that with absolute honesty, because Halena was going to heal him. She’d sat there, staring at him for the last two hours trying to find a reason not to, but there wasn’t one. Furthering the bond scared her shitless, yes. And by doing so probably played right into Votar’s plan. But what hurt most of all was the idea of his death.
Looking past the bond, before she even knew they were mated, the few hours they had together at the bar, dancing, then in his hotel, the guy was pretty amazing. Funny, considerate, and, hell, he liked fruitcake and baseball as much as her.
Not to mention he was sexy as sin.
“He didn’t mean to hurt you.” She sniffled. “He did it for me. I’m the one you should be mad at.”
“I am mad at you.” Halena couldn’t hold back a smile.
“You’re full of crap.”
True, at least now. The little stinker sure grew on Halena. “Tell me about your headaches.”
Closing her eyes, Addie let out a breath. “Um… I—they’re more than headaches.”
Halena brushed Addie’s hair back. “I know, hon.”
“You do?” Her eyes popped open.
“They’re visions.” She nodded.
“Shouldn’t be surprised you’d know what they are. Do you not know anything?”
“Trust me, there’s a lot I don’t know.” How to be a Mate, how to take care of a kid like her. “Slade gets them, too, Addie. It’s okay. It’s a gift.”
“He does? I—he never said.”
“Like you never told anyone. Tell me about your visions.”
“Always thought…” she said through a yawn, “I was a freak.”
“Not even.”
“I don’t remember much from them. They come in pieces. Superfast, and my head hurts so much after.” She snuggled the pillow. “But one, I remember seeing Slade, when he was sixteen. He was skateboarding. I saw him fall before he fell.”
Halena laughed.
“He broke his arm. I had a vision of him in a pink cast.” She smiled. “He was so pissed he had to have pink. It was hilarious.”
“You saw that before it happened?”
“The fall, him in a hospital bed, and the pink cast. Quick pictures. Then, after everything happened, I remembered I’d seen it. It freaked me out.”
“I bet. How old were you when you had that vision?”
“Seven maybe?”
“And me— How’d you know to trust me in the club?”
“I saw you coming. Not so much you as in your face, but I saw someone, knew it was female, helping me.”
“When you had gotten up from Jace’s table, I thought you were drunk, but you had a vision then, didn’t you? That’s when you saw me.”
“Just flashes of someone coming into the bathroom, then leading me out. Muffled voices. Then when you came into the bathroom, I knew, but I didn’t trust it—I was actually pretty freaked out.”
She sure hid it well. Damn, this girl was getting way too close to Halena’s heart.
“Rest.”
“I also saw that you’re going to heal him.” She smiled.
“Now who’s full of crap?”
She didn’t respond, faking sleep, but Halena didn’t press it. Because she really was full of crap. Touching him didn’t completely bond them, only inked her Mark on her neck.
Sure, it would make her want him even more than she already did, but it was a far cry from sleeping with him, which would seal the deal.
She flipped off the light and shut the door. By healing him, she was probably walking directly into whatever trap the demons were setting, but she couldn’t let him suffer any more. Addie was here and safe; so was Slade; she’d kick anyone’s ass who came at them.
Her phone buzzed in her back pocket. She pulled it out to see Justin’s face on the screen. “Justin.”
“Theo will be there soon. Got the snot pounded out of him, but he’s okay. Sadie’s with him.”
“What happened?”
“Heavy hitters showed up in New York, Halena. It was messy. We’re good. But—”
“Tell him not to hurry, I got this.”
There was a pause. “Really? You’re going to heal him?”
“Yes. If Theo could stop by, though, and check on Addie, that’d be good. I’ll be out of commission for a bit.”
He laughed. “Talk to you soon, cradle robber.”
She clicked end but couldn’t help smiling. That guy was never serious—well, unless it came to Yvonne.
And yeah, Halena was about 782 years older than Slade, so “cradle robber” was pretty accurate.
Halena ran to the kitchen and loaded up a tray of sandwiches and cookies. Energy drinks, too. Fueling beforehand might mean a quicker recovery.
Balancing the tray of food, she closed the door behind her. Slade lay in the bed, covered by thick comforters. His head was sweaty and his skin pale.
She settled the bundle of goodies on her lap as she sat in the chair beside the bed.
“Hungry much?” Slade asked.
“Between taking care of you and watching that little coquine, you guys are running me ragged.”
He coughed up a weak laugh. “Well, you are an old fart.”
“Insulting the only one who can heal you. I see your college education did wonders for your reasoning skills.”
Letting out a long sigh, he closed his eyes. “Thanks for taking care of her. She’ll be fine now.”
“You’ll be around, too. You’re strong.” She finished off her first sandwich and downed the rest of her energy drink. “I still can’t believe what you did to save her.”
“You would have done it, too.”
“No. I wouldn’t have.”
“Well, if you’d been human and she’d been your baby sister, you would have.” He drew in a shaky breath. “I’ve always taken care of her. Did the best I could after Mom and Dad died. It wasn’t her fault I sucked at raising her.”
“You didn’t suck.”
“Actually, I did. I didn’t know what I was doing.”
“Why didn’t she get placed with Mae?”
“I’d just turned eighteen when Dad died. Mom was already gone. So I stayed at the only house Addie had ever known. Kept her in the same school. Thought that would work better than uprooting her. Grams was nearby to help.”
“You gave up a lot for her.”
“She’s my baby sis. Mom’s and Dad’s deaths hit her hard, and things spiraled quickly. Soon even Grams couldn’t get through to her.”
Halena finished off the five cookies she’d brought and her last sandwich. If she was going to do this, she needed to do it now before she lost her nerve. No. She needed to do it now so he wasn’t suffering anymore.
He didn’t deserve that.
“Slade. I respect you.” She coughed. “For what you did for Addie.”
His eyes opened wide. “Lena.”
She flinched at the nickname he’d given her. No one had ever done that, and he said it with such affection. Too much affection. She both hated and loved it. But right now, she needed to take care of her Mate. Whether it was the Shomrei bond or not, she couldn’t let this amazing, strong, thoughtful, and caring guy die. Addie needed him. Hell, if Halena was honest with herself, she needed him.
She’d about lost faith in finding honorable humans, and this young frat boy showed courage and selflessness that rivaled the Shomrei. It was a nice reminder of what she once stood for, what she once held dear to her heart. Four centuries of loneliness and misplaced focus had left her…jaded.
He could have chosen that path after his parents—both of them—were taken from him so early. But he hadn’t. Instead, here he was, dying in this bed, cracking jokes about how old she was, and calling her on her bullshit.
Kneeling at the side of the bed, she said, “I’m going to heal you, Slade.”
“But you—”
“Sorry. You’re the sicko in bed. You don’t get any say in it. Plus, I’ve never met anyone who liked fruitcake and baseball as much as me. I might want to keep you around longer.”
“Yeah, well, we’re both freaks.”
Halena peeled the comforters back.
His skin puckered as the cool air met his feverish flesh. A wave of nausea overwhelmed her. Darkness radiated from his injury site. Even through the bandages.
“Just promise me one thing.” She pinned him with a stare. “Do not kiss me.”
“Blood link. I get it. You sure about this?”
She’d never been surer of anything in her life. “No. I’d better hurry before I change my mind.”
“There you go lying again.”
“Promise me. No kissing. You owe me that, Slade.”
“I owe you my life.” He grinned. “As much as I want to kiss you again, I won’t. It’ll put you at risk, anyway, and I won’t do that.”
“Risk?”
“Whatever Votar’s plans are, it involves us mating. Whatever that means, I won’t risk you.”
“I’m only going to touch you.”
“But it can lead to more. I read up on this. It’s intense. I won’t let it go past a touch. You can trust me.”
The guy was amazing. There wasn’t another word for him. “You sure you’re only twenty-one?”
He laughed, then fell into a cough. “I feel as old as you right now, but yes…twenty-one.”
“You have an old soul,” she whispered. “Scoot over. I’d rather not fall and crack my head open.”
His body abruptly stilled. Talking for so long must have worn him out.
She eased onto her side and propped her head up with her hand. His mouth was slightly open, his face relaxed and smoothed. So beautiful.
Mine.
Shaking the thought from her mind, she glanced at his shoulder. There it was. The Ahavah. Seeing it on other Gatekeepers and their Mates paled in comparison to seeing her Mark on Slade. She loved how the swirl of interlocking ropes of black ink looked on his skin. Just seeing it did something deep in her chest—like something shifted into place.
Okay, Halena. Suck it up and put on your big-girl panties.
She pressed her hand directly over his heart. Contact with his fevered skin sent a jolt straight to her chest. Heat climbed up, streaking to her neck. It stung, like needles pricking her flesh.