He didn’t even pause as he bit his wrist, leaned over Rebecca, and pressed it to her lips. “How much?” he asked. “I don’t want to take too much when she’s like this.”
“The bond,” Hudson muttered. “You’ll trigger the thrall bond.”
Ezra shot his Principal a look over his shoulder. “This woman is it for me. Nothing can trump the mate bond, and I’m already head over heels for her. What difference will an exchange of blood make?”
Dave gripped Ezra’s arm. “Be sure, friend. There is no coming back from this.”
“I won’t survive losing her. There is no choice.”
My eyes caught Hudson’s, seeing the mirroring of their love in our own story. I nodded to confirm what I realized would beat anything Eloise had planted. Love did indeed conquer all.
“She says enough to allow the bond to snap into place. A few mouthfuls will suffice,” I said.
“This is not how I imagined proposing,” Ezra whispered into Rebecca’s ear. “But then, life with you will be an unexpected ride. Unconventional, exciting, thrilling—and perfect.”
He kissed her softly on her pale lips and moved down to her throat. The ripple of power was immediate and made the hair on my arms lift. This was an intensely private moment.
The supernaturals in the room waited with bated breath as Ezra took her blood and completed the circle of blood sharing.I felt the oily power buck against the new magic. While Eloise’s was strong, this was absolute and left no room for interlopers. Rebecca’s fingers tightened around my own.
The door opened, and Norbert appeared before me. “You can let go now, Cora,” he whispered. “She’s okay.” I blinked back tears and studied the pack doctor’s face for deception. I found none. “That’s it. Ezra has her. Right now, I need you to let her go so I can check you over.”
Hudson frowned. “Why isn’t she doing it?”
“She’s afraid and in shock. Let’s clear the room,” Norbert said. “Just Hudson, Ezra, and Rebecca.” The sound of feet shuffling and concerned mutterings filled the room before dying away when the door clicked shut.
“Look at me, Cora,” Hudson demanded. “You did it. She’s going to be okay.”
But this was just the tip of the iceberg. Eloise wouldn’t stop until she’d stripped away everything that I love. I can’t protect them all.So stop hiding, stop reacting, and start planning.
“We won,” Rebecca said from above me.
I tilted my head back to stare into the blue eyes of my friend. “No, we lost.” Couldn’t they see that survival didn’t equate to a victory? We had to stop counting each breath as a gift. It should be a given.
“You can let go,” Rebecca whispered. “I’m okay. I promise.”
“If you don’t, you’ll be the next patient,” Norbert advised. “And we all know what bad patients doctors make.”
My lips twitched. I forced my fingers to release their death grip on her, and with it, I withdrew my magic. Rebecca’s shoulders slumped, and Ezra scooped her up in his arms before carrying her out of my lab.
“And then there were three,” Norbert said. “Hudson, lift her onto the examination table.”
I shook my head. I didn’t have time for them to fuss over me. We were at war, not at a spa.
“All warriors need to be at their best,” Norbert said, reminding me of his ability to know what I was thinking without saying a word. “You have an expressive face.”
I chuckled and let the doc check me over. Ten minutes later, I stumbled into my crowded office, clutching my mate’s arm for support.
Harry floated in the corner, back to his spirit self. I pressed my lips together and forced back the tears. “I’m sorry I’m not strong enough to keep you here,” I said.
His eyes swung to mine. “This is the natural order, Cora. Do not apologize. While it was nice to feel something solid for a moment, I have come to respect my position in this fight and your life. I have skills and benefits none of you with a heartbeat possess. So I repeat—don’t apologize.”
I flopped into my chair. Everyone was here. All my aunts, plus Dave, Sebastian, Robert, and Karen. Wait. I gave the bar owner a double-take.
Karen shrugged at my wide-eyed expression. “What? Did you think we don’t all know what you are? It didn’t take a supernatural curtain call to reveal that White Castle is the epicenter of the weird and the wonderful.”
Well, that shut me up.
“Plus, your granny trashed my trashy bar. Now it’s war.”
