My momentum kept me moving, and I pinned the man beneath me. He still had a grip on his knife, and he twisted it, sinking it in deeper. I snarled in pain and rage. My bear was fully in charge now, reacting instinctively to the threat in front of us. I opened my jaw, taking his shoulder in my mouth.
I shook my head while maintaining my hold on his shoulder. The man screamed, his body flopping from side to side, my teeth sinking deeper with each movement of my head. My bear was out for blood more than the kill.
“Ethan!” Gabriel’s voice penetrated the violence clouding my brain. “Get control of yourself.”
My bear dropped the man and clawed at him as I wrestled to take back control. The sting of the blade in me kept my bear fighting, but I tried to push the pain aside to focus on something else. The first thing to come to mind was Hannah.
I still needed to find my mate. That thought was enough to have my bear pulling back. I moved off the man, who now lay moaning on the ground, blood dripping from the wound on his shoulder.
I made a noise to get Gabriel’s attention. I needed him to pull out the knife before I shifted, or it would cause more damage. Inmy bear form, it was nothing more than a flesh wound, but if I shifted with it in, it could end up puncturing an organ.
He hissed when he saw the knife sticking out of me and grabbed it before tossing it to the ground behind him. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t get away.”
I shifted, the pain greater than normal because of the wound. My shifting skin pulled at the edges, stretching it, causing it to tear further. By the time I returned to my human form, I was sweating and gasping for breath. I pressed a hand against the wound, and my palm came away bloody.
“Help!” A rough voice called out, barely audible and barely recognizable. But I was certain it was my mate.
I staggered toward the sound, ignoring the fiery wound in my side. Now all I could hear was coughing, but I followed it to the source. Back at the front of the cabin, I noticed the window was cracked slightly open. I tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge.
I looked down and saw a board wedging it shut. It could have fallen, but I doubted its placement was accidental. I kicked it out of the way and yanked at the door. It flew open.
A noxious odor greeted me. My eyes burned as fumes emanated from the interior of the cabin. The sound of coughing was fainter now and urgency thrummed through me. I blocked my mouth and nose with one hand and barreled into the room.
Hannah lay collapsed on the floor beneath the open window, her body wracked with coughs. I strode over to her and dropped my hand from my mouth to pick her up. The fumes immediately burning my throat. I gathered her up and staggered outside, putting as much distance between us and the cabin as I could before my knees gave way.
I lay Hannah on the grass and pushed her hair back from her face. “Come on, Hannah. Breathe in that fresh air.”
Terror clawed at me. Was I too late? I shouldn’t have gone after the saboteur. If I hadn’t, I could have gotten her out sooner. The thought of losing my mate had the pain from my wound overshadowed by the pain in my heart.
Hannah
Warm palms cupped my cheeks. My eyes watered, and I wheezed, trying not to breathe in more of the fumes. But when I realized the air rushing into my lungs was fresh, I gasped, trying to take in as much as I could.
“Easy, Hannah.” The soothing voice was deep and familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. My brain was fuzzy, and the pounding in it made it hard to think.
My insides roiled, and I twisted away from the hands holding me to empty the contents of my stomach on the ground. I heard someone moaning and realized it was me. I pushed words out of my throat, the edges like knives as they rasped from me. “Water.”
Another voice drifted to my ears. “I’ll get some.”
Footsteps moved away. A hand rubbed my back. “I’ve got you, Hannah.”
I recognized the soothing voice now. It was Ethan. I relaxed into his comforting hold for a moment before another memory rushed into my head. I jerked forward, but Ethan’s arms held me in place. “Jonah!”
“We found him.” Declan’s voice came from above where I was on the ground. He must be standing. “He snuck out to go see Tank. Mae’s smothering him with cookies right now. I’ve left the lecturing for you to do.”
Footsteps approached, and a few seconds later, Ethan was holding a glass against my lips. I forced myself to sip at the water instead of gulping it down.
“We need to get Hannah to the hospital. She should get checked out.” Ethan lifted me, a hiss escaping from him as he stood. I tried to blink my eyes open, but they hurt too much.
“You need clothes first. And Mason should stitch up your wound.” Declan was firm. “I’ll take Hannah.”
“I’m not leaving my mate.” A low growl colored Ethan’s words.
“You also need to talk to the sheriff. He’s on his way.” Declan sighed and softened his tone. “You trusted us with Jonah. Trust us with your mate. I promise to take care of her. And I’ll call as soon as we know anything.”
Ethan’s grip tightened on me before he released me to his brother’s hold. I wanted to ask what happened to Ethan. How hurt was he? But I didn’t think I could get more than one word out at a time. I comforted myself with the fact neither he nor Declan seemed worried about the damage. If stitches were the worst of it, it would probably be fine. And I thought I remembered Chloe telling me shifters healed quickly.
“I’m right beside you.” Ethan kept pace with his brother, holding my hand. “I won’t leave your side until I have to.”
