My stomach twists, my hands curling into fists at my sides, but my aggressive stance is useless now; Rafe is long gone.
Nash asks the doctor whether Sophie can have visitors, and she shakes her head. “Sophie is in the ICU. Onceshe’s moved to a room, likely tomorrow afternoon, you’ll be able to visit.”
“I need to see my mate,” I growl low in my throat, my inner wolf struggling to remain in check; there’s no point antagonizing the medical staff.
The doctor narrows her eyes at me. “Is Sophie your fated mate?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I grunt, and the rest of the family nods in agreement.
“Very well,” she replies, obviously aware of the intense, highly charged bond between werewolves and their mates. “You may see her for five minutes, and then you will need to wait along with the rest of the family until we move Sophie.”
“Thank you.” My tone is clipped, but it’s the best I can do as I barely hold myself together.
“We’ll wait here for you,” says Nash, his deep throat raspy with emotion. “Come tell us how she is.”
The faerie doctor hands me off to a vampire nurse with an unfortunate overbite, her long, pointy fangs protruding over her bottom lip. She guides me to Sophie’s bed inside the well-lit ICU, which contains twenty beds, half of which are occupied. Machines whir and beep, and some of the patients moan; I avert my gaze to allow them their privacy.
Sophie is lying on her stomach on a bed in the corner, her wings stretched out on either side of her, bound in so much white gauze not a single feather peeks through. Each wing is resting in a sling that is suspended from a pulley above the bed. Her face is turned toward me, her eyes closed. I can hear her breathing softly, and aguttural noise sounds deep in my throat, my wolf whining for my mate.
The vampire reminds me I have five minutes, after which she’ll escort me back to the waiting room. I thank her and drag a chair over to the side of the bed so I can watch Sophie as she slumbers. A loose chunk of chestnut hair has tumbled onto her brow, which I gently brush back. Her hand is curled into a loose fist on the bed near her cheek; I wrap my fingers around hers, relishing their warmth.
And then I spend the next four-and-a-half minutes telling Sophie all the ways I love her. I think the corner of her mouth twitches upward once, but I can’t be sure.
After I reassure her family that Sophie is sleeping peacefully, everyone heads home except Jake. “Why don’t you crash at my place tonight?”
I shake my head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll need to look after Zosia while Sophie is in the hospital.”
“I forgot all about Zosia,” admits Jake. He claps a hand on my shoulder. “Alright, let me know if you need anything.”
“Actually, I could use a lift back to Mooncrest Inn—I rode in the ambulance with Sophie.”
A short while later I’m saying goodbye to my alpha and standing beside my car. Before I climb inside, I walk over to the gravel driveway where Rafe attacked us. One of the inn’s staff has already raked fresh gravel over the blood stains and picked up the loose feathers.
If only Sophie’s wings could be mended so easily. I drop to my knees in the spot where she fell, place myhand on the gravel, and whisper a prayer for my faerie sweetheart.
I want to see Sophie giggling brightly again, swaying her hips as she sings off-key, scowling when someone (usually me) annoys her, unfurling her wings when we’re alone, and bending over her recipe books, anxious to try something new.
I want my evermore mate to be fully healed.
I want Sophie to be radiantly herself again; I’ve never wanted anything more in all my life.
Rising, I gaze up at the night sky and howl out my heartache.
Chapter 40
Graduation
SOPHIE
Wednesday, October 10
I smooth back Teddy’s hair, which has been tousled by the stiff October breeze sweeping off the bay. A thunderstorm is heading our way, and Jake is keeping one eye on the sky as he welcomes the guests. Everyone associated with the fire department—full-time firefighters, volunteers, and family members—are seated on metal folding chairs in Riddle Hill Park, an expanse of green lawn overlooking the water.
“It’s time.” I smile at Teddy. “The others are already up there with Jake. He’s about to start his speech; I know all the signs.”
Chuckling, he brushes his lips over mine. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
