“For feck’s sake. You’d rather die?”
We continued our jog.
“Christian, Joshua’s out there,” I said, out of breath. “General’s dead, but his brothers aren’t. He’s just a kid. He’s—”
“Let Viktor know where I went.”
Without another word, Christian shadow walked out of sight. When we reached the mouth of the cave, Claude sprinted toward us, his eyes wide with fright.
“Viktor!” he bellowed.
We moved inside the cave, and Claude led us to a pile of his clothes that he’d spread out on the floor. “Set her down gently. Gently!”
Matteo placed Blue on the floor, her naked body bathed in blood. She moaned in agony before passing out.
Shepherd appeared out of nowhere with his bag. “Get out of the way.”
We all backed up as Viktor knelt by her side and cupped her face in his hands. “Wake up, Blue. Wake up. Shift.” In the chaos of the moment, he started speaking to her in Russian.
“Christian tried to give her his blood,” I explained. “She refused.”
“Of course she wouldn’t,” Matteo said. “Vampire blood taints the purity.”
I shook my head. Not long ago, I’d felt the same way. But knowing the healing power, I didn’t understand why she would rather die than have a little Vamp juice in her.
Shepherd took out a syringe and a small vial. Before he did anything, he set her broken arm. The sight made everyone cringe.
“Shouldn’t you stanch the bleeding?” Matteo snarled.
Shepherd ripped a package open with his teeth. “I can’t put hemostatic granules on her stomach. Pressure doesn’t work on the torso—not where she’s got it.”
“She’s bleeding out.”
“Let me do my fucking job, Chitah.” Shepherd quickly prepped the needle.
Viktor stroked her cheek. “Stay with us. It is not your time to leave this earth.”
“What’s happening?” Eve peered down at us from their sleeping spot.
None of us had time to worry about the kids.
Watching blood weep from Blue’s open wounds was agonizing, and Viktor had his fingers on her pulse the entire time. “Hurry.”
Shepherd slid the needle into her arm and pushed the plunger.
Blue gasped for air and opened her eyes.
Viktor’s tone was harsh. “Change,” he commanded.
Her gaze flicked down, but Viktor held her firmly so she couldn’t see the wounds. Tears trickled from the corners of her eyes, and she shifted. Her falcon flapped one wing and looked intoxicated, blood still staining its feathers. The kids were aghast and crying, and I held my breath.
Blue shifted back to human form. She swayed in a sitting position, her eyes hooded and hands holding the wounds on her chest and stomach. Though they had sealed, the scars were horrific.
“Once more,” Viktor urged, but Blue passed out in his arms.
“She’s gonna be fine.” Shepherd pulled out bottles from his bag. “That was enough to seal up organ damage and broken bones.”
“The scars,” Claude said, his voice rough and filled with dread. “She can’t stay like that.”
