When my teeth sink into her neck, her scream turns to a shriek that fades soon enough.
The taste of her blood is almost too satisfying, but the feeling passes quickly when the human side of me surges to the surface of my thoughts. I’m not interested in draining her body and don’t want another drop of her on my fur. Knowing she’s dead and will never hurt me again is enough.
Lifting my head, I watch Declan finish Serena off, tossing her body around like she’s a rag doll before she slams against a tree and falls lifeless at the base. Good riddance—they should’ve stayed away. The bear is still standing over what’s left of Derik, and now lowers his head slightly to Declan before lumbering off. A bear shifter. I’ve never seen one before now, but I know we’re sworn enemies. Why is he here in our territory and why did he help us?
I can’t think about that right now. It’s Cole I care about when I lift my head to look back toward the clearing. He’s still there, still unmoving when we break into a run to reach him and Tara. Zeke reaches them first, sniffing them, nudging them with his snout.“They smell funny.”
“They’ve been drugged.”Declan stands close to me, where I lean over Cole and silently beg him to wake up. To come back to me. He has to come back to me.“They’ll both be fine. We’ll get them home and take care of them. Don’t worry.”
That’s the thing. I’ll never be able to not worry about him again. He’s my mate, my reason for living. Worrying about him—and loving him—is my purpose.
Chapter 14
Cole
This is nice.A good dream. I’m comfortable, my head resting on something soft, the sheets cool against my skin. There’s peace and quiet all around me, with only the sound of birds chirping outside the window to break the perfect silence.
That, and somebody else’s breathing. The breath hits my shoulder slowly, rhythmically. That’s how I know this is a dream, because Nora wouldn’t curl up like this with me on her own.
Still, if this is a dream, it’s the most vivid dream I’ve ever had. I can smell her clearly. I can almost hear her heartbeat, and the rhythm is close to mine.
When I turn my head on the pillow, the welcome weight on my shoulder goes away. “Are you awake? Tell me you’re awake.”
Now I know this must be a dream. When would Nora be so happy to know I’m conscious? “I’m awake... Maybe,” I murmur, keeping my eyes closed.
“Thank God!” She takes my face in her hands, and I revel in her touch—but it’s the kisses she rains all over my face that make my heart skip a beat or two.
It’s not only kisses raining on me. It takes a second, but I realize there are tears on her cheeks. “What’s wrong?” Finally, I pry my eyes open. Her face is red, her eyes swollen like this isn’t the first time she’s cried today. It’s light out—I slept the whole night.
“I thought… I lost you.”
“I’m right here. I didn’t go anywhere.” This is bizarre. What the hell happened last night? I remember something went wrong, but it’s all cloudy and foggy.
“You could have,” she sobs. “You looked dead. I thought you were dead. I actually felt the danger you were in. It was terrifying.”
“But I’m not. I’m right here.” Something changed. Something shifted between us while I was unconscious. This isn’t the first time she’s clung to me, but it’s the first time she’s done it without having a nightmare first.
“I’ve never felt anything like that before.” There’s something very real in the way she whimpers. I feel her sincerity. The depth of the fear she struggled with.
“Everything’s all right. I’m here.” Stroking her cheeks, I wipe away her tears, and she leans into my touch. My heart is about to explode from happiness and relief. This is all I want. Her trust. Tenderness.
She touches her head to my shoulder again, crying until tears run over my skin. “They’re all dead. My whole family is dead, and I don’t know how to feel. My emotions have been all over the place since last night.”
“What happened?” I listen to her explain how her family drugged Tara and I and used us as bait. Anger surges through me, knowing my mate was in danger while I was out cold. She tells me about the fight, the mystery bear, and the outcome.
“And now they are all dead,” she concludes her story, leaving me a little dazed.
“I’m sure it feels complicated.” Though I can’t pretend to be sorry. “But they were never your family. Not really. We are your family. This is where you belong.”
“I killed Jessa.” She sniffles, but it comes as no surprise that she isn’t crying quite as hard anymore. “And I didn’t really feel anything. Is that wrong? I don’t even feel guilty.”
“No, I don’t think it’s wrong. Only…” Something is not computing, and I don’t think it’s the effect of having slept like the dead for hours on end getting in the way of my brain being able to process things. “How did you do that? How are you able to?—”
A strange, shy sort of look comes over her face. “I shifted.”
“You what?” The news makes me sit bolt upright in bed and take her face in my hands again. “Your wolf? You shifted?”
“It was when I knew you were in danger.” She leans into my touch again, closing her eyes and releasing a deep sigh. “I couldn’t help it. My wolf needed to find you. There was nothing in the world more important than finding you and making sure you were okay.”
