“Do my best,” I grunted, but she had already sprinted away.
Chapter 14 - Emma
The car peeled down the road as I went twenty over the speed limit, Rachel in the passenger seat. My mind raced, the same words swirling in my head like an out-of-control carousel.
Elias is hurt. Elias is hurt. Elias is hurt.
Those were the three words I’d let Rachel get out before I told her to take me to him, not giving her the chance to explain any further. I didn’t need her to. The fear and worry in her eyes, the concern etched through every inch of her body, was enough.
Normally, I didn’t mind that I couldn’t shift. It was something I had never been able to do. It was hard to miss something I’d never had. However, I wished I could be at times like this when my legs never seemed to work fast enough, and I could practically hear the clock ticking over and over again in my head. Even if the car was faster, it felt as though I was doing nothing. I fidgeted in the driver’s seat, trying to soothe my raging, panicking wolf.
Rachel was still talking, but I didn’t hear a single word. Blood pounded in my ears as my mind spun. I tried to focus on the mating bond, the pulse there. He was alive. I knew he was. I could sense it. But I could also sense the pain, the danger. My wolf howled anxiously, wanting to get to her mate as fast as possible, urging me to step on the gas even more.
Finally,finally, we pulled to a sudden halt. A small crowd had gathered around the oasis. I pulled to a stop and clambered out of the car, the engine still running. I raced forward, heart still thundering in my throat as I pushed through the crowd. They parted for me as I shoved my way through. When I saw him, I came to a halt, my mouth opening in horror.
Elias lay face-up in the shallow part of the oasis, two inches of water lapping around his heels and his side—his side that currently had bandages wrapped around it. I could see a thick line of blood through it in what must have been the size and shape of the wound, the edges jagged. If that was how much blood had seeped into the bandages, I couldn’t imagine how bad the injuries themselves were.
His chest rose and fell in ragged, irregular breaths. Shallow, far too shallow. My stomach clenched in dread as I took in how pale he was, the sweat trickling from his brow that I doubted had anything to do with the heat.
“Oh my God.” I ran toward him.
I crouched next to him, interlacing my fingers with his, trying not to be alarmed at how cold and clammy his hand felt. Oh, God, please let him be okay. I could feel my wolf panicking even more as I stared down at our mate, who looked only slightly better than if he were at death’s door.
A figure appeared next to me, crouching so they were level with me. I turned to see Sam’s worried face staring first at Elias, then at me.
“What the hell happened?” I demanded.
“The sand wraith. It attacked. Elias was busy getting everyone to safety.”
Of course he did. I reached out and brushed the damp hair away from his forehead. I could sense the despair of everyone in the group, all worried about Elias. Unease and fear rippled through the crowd.
“He’s hurt bad,” Sam said. He hesitated as he lowered his voice. “I’m not sure he’s going to make it.”
The words rang in my ear, reverberating and distorting. There was no way they could be true. I glanced back up at the beta, who bobbed restlessly from foot to foot, clearly anxious to get back to Elias, but I couldn’t let him go yet, not without asking more questions.
My fingers found Elias’s and entwined with them again.
“That’s not going to happen. We won’t let it happen. Have you summoned the healer yet?” I asked.
“Of course. She’s done everything she could.” Sam hesitated as he glanced around, as if trying to figure out if anyone in the crowd could hear them from this distance. “It doesn’t look good at the moment, Emma.”
A lump formed in my throat, but I shook my head in defiance. “There has to be something else we can do. He can’t die, Sam.”
“I don’t want him to die, either,” Sam said. “But all we can do is leave him in the water. The oasis is his only hope,” Sam insisted.
Of course. Several of the shifters thought the oasis had healing properties. I shook my head. “Sam, has anyone actually been healed by the oasis—really healed? I’m not talking about a cut, just getting better over time.”
It was an old superstition about the oasis, one that I grew up hearing over and over again. That the waterfall, the oasis, had magic in it. I believed it to a certain extent. I had done enough research over the last couple of days to know therewasmagic in Silver Falls.
“Do you have any other ideas?” he asked. “I told you, the healer’s already done everything she can. We just have to wait.”
Already, people were beginning to trickle away, leaving for the oasis to do their work. Only a few remained now.
“You can’t just leave him here,” I said, not bothering to hide the desperation in my voice. Without realizing it, I had shot to my feet.
“What other options are there?” Sam hissed in response, keeping his voice low.
I didn’t answer, instead brushing back Elias’s hair, trying not to notice how feverish he felt. My stomach twisted in dread and anxiety.
