“But—”
“You’re not going to be any use to me or Boone if you pass out from blood loss.”
Jackie knew Hugh was right, but he didn’t have to like it. When Kye came over with a first aid kit and sat next to him, Jackie raised his hand to the throbbing part of his head. “The dashboard got me when it was crushed in.”
“Well, something sure got you.”
Jackie winced when Kye got his medical supplies out and began cleaning the wound. It hadn’t been horribly painful until that very moment. “I think most of it was from tree branches. I was kind of in a hurry, and…” Jackie shrugged.
“A lot of it seems to be from tree branches, but you also have a couple of pieces of glass embedded in your head right behind the hairline.”
Jackie quickly raised his hand to his hair. “Don’t cut my hair.”
Boone loved his hair.
“I think I can get it without that.” Kye grabbed a pair of tweezers. “Yuji, can you come hold the flashlight? I need to be able to see a little better.”
Jackie tried to sit still while Kye dug the glass out of his head, but it was hard. He could see Hugh pacing while he talked on his cell phone. He was talking in tones too low for Jackie to hear, but the tight expression on his face didn’t bode well. Since Hugh kept glancing in his direction, Jackie was pretty sure the man was talking about him.
“You know, this would be a lot easier if you just shifted.”
Jackie shook his head at Kye’s suggestion. “I don’t want to shift unless Boone is here. My lion seems to like him.”
And he was afraid of what his lion might do if Boone wasn’t there.
“He’s your mate,” Kye said. “Of course your lion likes him.”
“That is the way it works,” Yuji added, which was odd. The man didn’t seem to talk much. Apparently, he felt he had something important to add to the conversation.
“All this mating stuff is new to me. When Drummond had us, he was all about trying to teach us to be good little submissive omegas, not mates. Beyond the fiction I’d read in books and seen on the television, I didn’t even know what mates were until Elder Hamilton told me about them.”
“Maybe we should create a manual,” Yuji suggested.
Kye snorted. “And give away our secrets? I don’t think so.”
“It’s not like we’d be handing them out to the enemy,” Yuji insisted.
“Screw the enemy. I’m talking about giving our secrets away to them.” Kye nodded toward Hugh. “Do you think I really want them finding out how a mate’s mind works?”
“Um…aren’t they mates, too?” Jackie was seriously confused.
“Yeah, but they’re big and bad. I only have my diva self to keep me on top.”
Yuji chuckled very quietly. “If he stubs a toenail, Hugh and Neumus go nuts.”
“Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?” Jackie asked.
Kye smiled. “Yeah, it is.”
Jackie wished he felt as confident as Kye sounded. He simply hadn’t had the chance. One minute he was free and easy. The next minute he was mated. And the minute after that, he was still mated, but missing his mate.
Jackie wanted to curl up into a ball and cry, but Boone needed him to be strong. Hiding wouldn’t do anyone any good. Besides, he wanted to be in the thick of things so he could hear any news that came in as soon as it arrived. The not knowing if Boone was alive hurt far more than Jackie ever thought it would.
“He’s alive.”
Jackie glanced hopefully at Kye. “How do you know?”
“You’re mated. You’d know if he was dead.” Kye tapped his fingers to his chest. “You’d feel it here.”
