“Don’t you dare give up,” I pleaded, tears blurring my vision. “If you’re looking for a reason to stay, then stay for me. Maybe it’s not enough, but I love you, Tak. I’ll never find anyone else I love as much. You’re the bravest man I know, and maybe I don’t deserve you, but I can’t imagine a life without you in it. Don’t break my heart.”
One of his brown eyes opened and looked right at me.
In a ripple of magic, Tak transformed into a wounded man. I stared in horror at the claw marks over his shoulder and the lump on his head. Seconds later, Tak fell unconscious again.
“That’s a big fucking hematoma,” Wheeler remarked. “Help me lift him. I’ll take him back to the motel.”
“He’s not staying there anymore. We’re taking him home.”
“Home. As inyourhome?” Wheeler stroked his circle beard. “And the plot thickens.”
I swung a frosty gaze up at him. “I don’t live a pious life, and I don’t expect you to treat me like some kind of princess. So you can either help me carry him, or you can move out of my way.”
“Take it easy, sweetheart.” Wheeler rolled him onto his back. “Mayhap I was just curious why you’d want to invite a stranger into your home.”
I stood up and wiped my bloody hands on my shirt. “He’s no stranger. This man has taught me more about love in one week than anyone else has in my entire life. I love him, and you can spread that rumor far and wide if you like, but it’s the truth. Maybe he doesn’t love me half as much, but that’s a chance I’m willing to take.”
Wheeler chuckled and shook his head. “If this is a contest on who loves who more, I’m staying out of it.” When he stood up again, he raked his fingers through his disheveled hair. “Love is the damnedest thing. Pull your car around, and we’ll load him in. He’s not riding in my Camaro with all this blood, so I hope you have a roomy back seat.”
* * *
I’d been standingfor ages in my narrow hallway, rubbing missed spots of dried blood off my hands while the Relic treated Tak. This wasn’t the same Relic who’d collected Dutch but an old family friend.
What if I lose him?It seemed impossible that I could fall so hard so fast, but now I couldn’t imagine a world without him in it. I’d never seen a wolf fight a grizzly before. The local shopkeepers had seen the bear, but not one of them possessed the courage to do anything about it. Shifters didn’t usually fight to the death, so it wasn’t until Tak took a powerful blow and Dutch went down that I had turned my back on the fire to help.
When the Relic emerged from my bedroom, I lurched forward. “How is he?”
Edward ran his fingers through his dark blond hair. If only the look in his eyes was as reassuring as his British accent. “He’s not woken up. I dressed his wounds and have done all I can, but unless he shifts—”
“Will he live?”
“He’s an alpha. They’re too stubborn to die.” Edward led me out of the hallway and into the living room. “It’s not grave, but given how close his wounds are to a major artery, I can’t say what might have happened had he not shifted. Time will heal his injuries, and he’ll keep the scars. There’s quicker recovery time if you can get him to shift once or twice more. I’d encourage you to try.”
“And the pain?”
Edward reached into his bag and handed me a bottle of pills. “Give him one every six hours. These are strong, so they’ll make him sleep for a long time. Only give them as needed. If he’s lucid enough to shift, I’d rather him do that a few more times than sedate him. But sometimes they don’t have the energy left to shift, or their animal won’t wake up.”
I held the pills against my chest. “Thank you for coming on short notice. Stay here while I get your money.”
Relics had clients they worked with exclusively. For a little extra, you could sometimes find one who was willing to squeeze you into their schedule. Edward had a long history with Melody’s old pack, so he was willing to come on short notice.
I padded down the hall to Melody’s bedroom. Breed bankers weren’t open all hours, so we made deposits twice a month. Every week, one of us would fill a deposit bag with money and take it home to put in the safe, which Lakota had bolted to the floor of Melody’s closet. It was convenient to have cash on hand in case of emergencies or large expenses, such as buying a car. But it was too dangerous to keep all your money in your home. Some did, but if word spread, criminals considered it an open invitation.
After opening the closet, I knelt and punched in the code. When the safe door opened, my heart stopped as I stared into an empty box. Had Melody made an early deposit? No… No, I was certain I’d put money in the safe after they left town. I closed the door and examined the hinges, looking for signs of tampering. The empty deposit bag was sitting in its usual place.
A dreadful thought nestled in my head: I’d left Tak unsupervised in my home. If he was in the process of breaking away from his father’s tribe, would he have been tempted by a safe full of money? The Tak I knew now wasn’t capable of such a devious act, but what were his original intentions? If he wanted to get even with Lakota, it would’ve been easy to steal from right under our noses. But without the code, how did he get the money out? And why didn’t he just leave town afterward?
I refused to believe it.
“Everything okay?” Edward asked, peering into the room.
I sprang to my feet, my cheeks flushed. “I’m so sorry; I thought we had enough cash in the house to cover it. Everything’s in the bank. I promise you’ll get your money. You know I’m good for it.”
“That’s fine,” he said, glancing at his watch. “I trust you or else I wouldn’t have come.”
I fought back tears. “Thank you.”
“If you need my assistance, just give me a ring. The ointment on the bedside table will speed up the healing process. I’m more concerned about the lump on his head being the reason he won’t wake up. He might have suffered a severe concussion, and I’m afraid if that’s the case, there’s very little I can do. Put ice on it every few hours, and ring me at once if his condition worsens or there’s no change in twenty-four hours.”
