“Aren’t you going to go after her?” she asks, looking between Bryce and me.
I war with myself. I know she’s long gone, and I won’t be able to catch her. And I also know Garrett is expecting me to stay here and protect the females. But the thought of her tracking down the vampires on her own makes me physically ill. I meet Bryce’s gaze. “Go. I’ll protect the females here.” And he would. There was nothing to worry about with Bryce staying here. “I’ll dealwith Garrett’s wrath,” he says a moment later, knowing that’s what I’m thinking.
Mind made up, I pull my shirt off and my boots and wait for Ava to turn around before I strip off the rest and shift. I give the reins to my wolf and let him run. I keep Sherese’s scent in my nose and run and run and run. My wolf is used to running, but the distance is greater than I thought it would be. But we don’t give up. We race after Sherese. Every little bit, I catch another scent. I keep hoping that means I’m closing in on Sherese and the other vampires, but they’re always just out of reach. My wolf runs without tiring. I hear a wolf’s howl pierce the air. We keep running. I can smell Sherese’s scent more strongly now. It gives my wolf the surge it needs, and we race forward. A wolf growls so fiercely that the ground shakes. My wolf stumbles for just a moment at the blast of power that came with it, and I know it’s Garrett. Fear for Sherese slams into me because I now scent Garrett’s scent near Sherese’s. After having his mate attacked and child taken, the wolf and the man won’t be in their right head. He could rip Sherese’s throat out in the blink of an eye; his wolf would only see Sherese as a threat. My wolf’s vision allows me to see ahead, and what I see makes my heart nearly stop in my chest. Garrett’s massive black wolf is stalking Sherese.
My wolf surges forward and soars through the air, landing just in front of Sherese to face down the enraged alpha. Two wolves join him, and I scent them as Liam and Max. I shift instantly, knowing this will need to be handled in human form. I keep Sherese behind me and face the three wolves. “Shift, so we can talk.” It’s Liam who shifts first.
“Give us the child,” he orders, his face harsh.
Surprise fills me, and I glance over my shoulder at Sherese, noticing for the first time the tiny human attached to her back. And then a tiny voice sounds. “Dadda.”
I turn to the side, keeping both the wolves and Sherese and the child in my line of sight. She sets the child down on his legs but keeps her hands on his shoulders as if unsure whether it’s safe or not. I take a step closer to them. I’m about to tell her it’s okay to let the boy go to his father; the wolves would never hurt him. Liam beats me to it. “You can let him go. He's in no danger.”
Sherese suddenly flinches. If I hadn’t been standing this close to her, I would have missed it. In a move I’m not prepared for, she scoops up the child and runs. Garrett moves to block her path, but she’s too fast. He lets out an earth-shaking growl. I shift instantly. I don’t know what she’s doing, but I’m going to have to keep the alpha from killing her. Suddenly, a scent hits me. Max and Garrett scent it at the same time because they spin around. Liam shifts, and not a second too soon. Vampires come out of nowhere and surround us, more than I can count. Now, it’s a battle to keep them from following Sherese and the child. I don’t have to worry about that, though. Garrett takes out any vampire that heads that direction. The four of us tear the vampires to pieces, but they keep coming. When the threat is past, I turn and race after Sherese and the child. Now, I know why she ran. It takes a long time to get back to the house, and my wolf is tiring. But we push forward and finally get to the house. When we get close, we’re hit with the strong scent of her. It slams into me with the force of a freight train, and I know it’s her blood. My wolf pulls it deep into his lungs, and I do the same. It’s a dichotomy that shouldn’t exist, but it does. There’s the foul scent that is all vampire, but when you get past that, there’s a sweet undertone that can’t be mistaken for what it is...healer blood. I don’t know how I’ve missed it before this because it smells so strong now. We round the corner to the house and stop. Sherese sits on the bottom step. Bryce and Ava are around her. She hasn’t noticed us yet, but Bryce knows. I watch as Sherese stands up, and something tightens in my chest. I shiftinstantly and take in the sight of her, all of her. Her hair is a tangled mess. Her cheek is cut badly and is dripping blood. Her shirt hangs off her, shredded at the shoulder. Her pants have holes and tears in them. My gaze lands on her feet.Her bare feet.I can see how torn up they are from here; I can’t imagine how bad the soles of her feet are. For some reason, seeing her bare feet torn up fills me with rage. These are only the wounds I can see visibly, and I wonder how many more are under her clothes. When she stands and staggers, I step forward. Her head jerks up, and she notices me for the first time. Our eyes lock, and I stare at her. She risked everything to save Garrett and Emma’s child, and now she’s paying the price. Something lethal rises inside me, reminding me what I am. In that moment, a decision is made. Something clicks for me, and I know everything is going to change. I don’t know if this woman is my mate. I can’t smell her true essence because it’s tainted by vampire blood. But it doesn’t matter. I’ve been dancing around this issue since I first met her. She stirs something inside my wolf and inside me that no woman ever has. I decide in that moment that she’s mine. I don’t care whether she’s my fated mate or not; she’s now mine to protect and keep safe. She’s the most selfless person I know and also the strongest. She’s beautiful both inside and out. She’s been through hell and back, and she’s still standing, still fighting, still standing for what’s right. And I want to stand beside her and fight with her and for her. I know she won’t be prepared for any of this from me, but I’ll take it slow. I’ll win her over, but she’s not going to get away. I’m going to hang onto her with every ounce of my being.
I’m not sure how much she sees on my face of what’s going on in my mind, but it must be something because her gaze widens for just a moment. I can tell she’s about to drop, and I’ll be the one to catch her. I’m at her side a moment later. “Move,” I orderBryce. When her legs give out, I’m the one who catches her and holds her against my chest.
“I just need a moment to recover,” she whispers against my chest.
“Take all the time you need.” My voice is a rumble. I take the scent of her deep into my lungs, searching for that sweet scent beneath the vampire scent. It takes me an extra minute to realize Ava and Bryce have gone back inside. “The child?” I ask.
“Raechel took him inside,” she says quietly.
A scent hits me, and I lift my head. An urge to get her inside fills me. “The wolves are coming; let’s get you inside.” I keep my hand on her arm to support her, but she manages to walk up the steps under her own power. I grab a pair of sweats from the basket at the front door and slide them on. Before I can follow her inside, three wolves appear at the base of the stairs and transform instantly. Garret is up the steps and in my space a moment later.
“Get out of my way, or I’ll rip your head from your shoulders,” he growls at me.
I don’t want to push the alpha any more than he’s already been pushed, but he’s not going in without a warning. “You touch the vampire, and you’ll answer to me.” I let him see my dark side in my eyes for just a moment. He takes in what I’m showing him, and I can’t tell if he’s surprised or not. I’ve kept what I am secret from everyone in the world except Bryce. But right now, I need the alpha to know my threat is serious.
He gives me a wary look but gives me a sharp nod. “Now move. I need to get to my son.”
I nod but step inside first. My eyes land on the tall, dark-haired beauty that’s still standing, despite being deeply injured. My gut tightens painfully. I lock eyes on her and walk over to her before dropping my head to her neck and breathing her in deeply. She stiffens and doesn’t move a muscle. A shiver runsthrough her, and I wonder if she’s not as unaffected as she portrays. She has no idea what I’m doing, but there’s not a wolf in this room that doesn’t know. I’m scent-marking her so that every wolf around knows she’s not available. I don’t care that she’s a vampire.She’s mine; she just doesn’t know it yet.
Chapter Seventeen
Sherese
I try to catch my breath as I walk up the stairs. It will take me a little bit to recover from this burnout. I manage to walk up the steps. The black spots aren’t as prevalent as they were moments ago. Hopefully, that means I’m past the worst of it. Hunter opens the door but stops to put on pants. I walk inside, feeling lightheaded and weird. It kind of feels like an out-of-body experience. I haven’t burned out in a very long time, not since I first learned what happens. I look over and see that Daniel has his head on Talya’s shoulder. She’s rubbing his back and speaking softly to him. Raechel’s and Sage’s eyes follow me when I walk into the room, but they don’t say anything. I walk to the far side of the room and stop. My legs don’t want to work anymore. Bryce stands close to me but doesn’t touch me. I don’t know if he’s waiting for me to drop, or what. The door opens, and I feel that dark energy before I see him. Hunter comes through the door and locks that dark gaze on me. He prowls his way across the room until he stops right in front of me. I’m aware of nothing else in the room except for him. He shocks me by stepping close and then dropping his head to my neck.
My body stiffens and locks up tight. I have no idea what he’s doing. I feel his warm breath on my neck, and a shiver rolls down my spine. When he lifts his head, those dark eyes clash with mine, and the air in my lungs suddenly doesn’t seem sufficient enough to keep me breathing. But then I hear a rumble of a voice that snaps me from whatever this is with Hunter. “Son.” I look over to see Daniel reach for his father. Garrett takes him from Talya’s arms and holds him close, eyes closed. Daniel startsto cry then, and it’s heartbreaking. It’s like the little guy tried to stay calm when he had to, and now it’s all coming out. The door to the room suddenly crashes open, and Emma flies inside. I swallow hard at the sight of her. She’s got blood all over her clothes, and she’s limping. Garrett eats up the distance between them. And when she throws herself into his arms, he catches her and holds her close with one arm. The other arm is still locked around their son. “Daniel.” Her voice is hoarse and desperate.
“Momma.”
And then he’s in her arms, and Garrett holds them both close. Emma’s sobs ricochet off the walls, and it suddenly feels too personal to be here. I turn to walk back to my room, but I must turn too fast. The world spins for a moment, but a hand at my elbow steadies me. I start towards the back room, but those dreaded black spots are back again. My steps are slow, and I have a hard time staying on my feet. Then Hunter’s in front of me, his eyes dark. “What do you need?” I hesitate. A vampire is never weak, unless they’re in burnout. That’s the only time that they’re weak. Telling him now gives him complete power over me. “I’m not going to hurt you. Not now, not ever.”
There’s something about his words that is so sincere, I know they’re the truth. And when my body sags, I know I don’t have any other option. I meet that dark gaze. “I’m in burnout,” I whisper. “I need blood.”
He nods and leans me against the wall. “I’ll be right back.” Blood and rest. That’s the only way to recover from burnout. He returns seconds later with a blood bag. He hands it to me, but I drop it next to my side. “Pretty sure you have to drink it for it to work.” I nod, or at least I try. His eyes darken. “Sherese?” I feel myself falling, and I hear his low curse. He takes the blood bag from my hand and lifts it to my lips. “Drink.”
I want to. I really do, but I can’t get my body to respond. He kind of fades, but then the taste of the blood hits my tongue. Ittakes a few seconds for it to hit my system. When it does, I feel my energy returning. “Is she okay?” I hear Ava ask.
“She will be,” Hunter says.
“Garrett wants to talk to her,” I hear Bryce say. There’s a low growl that sounds far away. “There’s nothing to worry about,” he continues in a low voice. “You made your intentions abundantly clear.”
“Yeah, what was that about?” Ava asks.
Hunter responds in a low voice, but the voices kind of swirl around in my head. I’m suddenly so exhausted, I can’t keep my head up. Before I realize what’s happening, we’re moving. “Drink the rest of this,” Hunter’s bossy voice says. My senses are returning; I don’t feel quite so loopy. I know that’s because of the blood. But now, the exhaustion is hitting hard, and so is the pain. I think the adrenaline was keeping the pain at bay, but now it comes roaring back. I grit my teeth, but I know all my injuries will heal in a few hours. I finish the rest of the blood and start to lean back on the bed. “Not yet,” bossy Hunter continues. “We’ve got to get you cleaned off first.” I’m suddenly conscious of the fact that I’m covered in blood. I manage to get to my feet and start towards the bathroom.
