You’re alright? Of course, she was alright. Why wouldn’t she be? His words didn’t make sense, and her ability to understand why, coupled with her inability to surface, had frustration mounting. Forcing her eyes open was a challenge, and with the light that filtered in as she blinked rapidly came a heavy throbbing in her head. Something was wrong. What happened?
Memory of Narae stabbing her with something came flooding back, and then panic set in. Her breathing intensified, and then Koe’s voice was closer, the warmth of his hand encompassing hers.
“Easy, baby. Everything’s alright.”
But there was a catch of dishonesty in his tone, a note of deceit wafted from his normal woodsy scent. He was lying. Everything wasn’t alright. Swallowing hard, Narae ignored the sandpaper quality of her throat and croaked, “Narae?” Something had to be wrong with Narae because Koe was here, and she wasn’t.
“Daemon’s got her.”
Jury’s nostrils flared. That statement was true, but it didn’t mean that Narae was okay. Forcing her eyes open even against the protesting headache that accompanied the action, she swallowed, trying to wet her throat as she struggled to sit up. Koe was there, helping her into a sitting position, and unwilling to wait, Jury demanded, “What happened? What’s wrong?”
There was just a moment of hesitation before Koe explained. “We went north. Most of the Biters were there. Thebattle was swift and definitive. You’ll be happy to know that all six of the Biter females have requested asylum with our pack.”
Undistracted by that bit of information, Jury focused on what mattered. “Most?”
Koe cleared his throat and looked repentant as he dipped his head before looking back up to hold her gaze. “Bragga and three others were absent.”
Jury swung her feet off the bed and made to stand in a rush. Her knees buckled, and she went down, but Koe caught her before she hit the floor. Tears stinging the back of her eyes, her voice trembled when she begged, “Please! Where’s Narae?”
Koe lifted her into his arms and carried her out of the panic room. Outside the room, pack members lined the hall. Their heads lowered, and none of them would make eye contact. Jury’s gut twisted with a sickening fear. Koe carried her through the manor, explaining as he walked.
“I had Oliver prepare a sedative just in case things got too intense for you. I didn’t want you stressing yourself or worryingtoo much. I was confident in our abilities, and your distress seemed unnecessary.”
Jury knew the direction they were heading as Koe crossed the front foyer with her. They were headed toward the two doors sitting side-by-side, one leading to the manor’s cells and the other to the manor’s medical unit.
“Narae decided it would be best to sedate you before you got too stressed, so she took the shot from Thrall and injected you. While he was carrying you to the panic room, she saw smoke out in the south field and was worried about Daemon’s cabin.”
“What?Daemon’s cabin?”
Koe explained, “Daemon had his own cabin in the south pasture. He and his wolf need their space.” Another brief pause, and then, “Anyway, Narae tore out of here while Thrall was getting you situated. And your sister’s fast. Thrall couldn’t catch up to her…”
Jury screamed, “Fucking stop!” And Koe did. He stopped walking and stopped talking.
Fisting his shirt, Jury pulled on it hard as she frowned up at him, her lower lip trembling as she breathed, “Is she dead?”
“No!” Koe rushed out. “She’s hurt. But she’s alive. Oliver’s working on her, and Daemon’s with her.”
“Take me to her.”
Koe started walking again while Jury wrestled with guilt. Her weakness, herfear,was the reason Thrall had been too preoccupied to stop Narae from leaving. They shouldn’t have sedated her. Jury would have gone with Narae. She would have been terrified the whole time, but she’d have gone. Her whole life had been accompanying Narae into wars neither of them wanted any part of. But they’d always done it…together. Jury’s guilt morphed into anger. Narae had taken that from her. She took away Jury’s opportunity to be a good sister and that wasn’t right or fair. And now, Jury was left with the consequences.How dare she!Tears slid down her face as she struggled to rein in her fury, knowing the emotion was at the fore because it was easier for her to process than the weighty fault that was threatening to snap her shoulders.
As Koe walked, he lowered his head and kissed her temple. Voice pitched low, he murmured, “Don’t cry, baby. Everything’s gonna be alright. We’ve got this one last push to be done, and once Narae’s better, that’ll be the last hold Bragga ever has on you. I made sure of it.”
That was something at least. “He’s gone?”
“Yes,” Koe reassured her. “All of them are. Every male who contributed to your pain, every male who failed to protect you, every male who had a leadership role and should have led better. They’re all gone now.”
And that was more than a relief. It was important because as much as she’d been worried about Bragga coming for her, she knew he’d come for Narae. Bragga had always resented Jury because she wasn’t his biological daughter. She’d been conceived after her mother had gotten away from him. It’s why he’d allowed and contributed to so much of Jury’s abuse. But Narae. Narae was his daughter, and Narae leaving his pack would have felt too much like what their mother had done. It would have been a slight hewould not have allowed. Now, if Narae lived, at least she could do so in peace.
***
Daemon paced at the foot of Narae’s med bed. Once he’d gotten her back to the compound, Oliver had given her a whole blood transfusion, setting up a line directly from Daemon to Narae. A mate’s blood was the most compatible, but all shifters were O-, making all of them viable donors. Which was good because Daemon’s blood hadn’t been enough, and Oliver had been forced—against Daemon’s commands—to stop the transfusion for fear of hurting Daemon. Oliver used blood from the blood bank's stores. It pissed Daemon off because his scent on Narae was too subtle now, mingled with that of his packmates, who comprised the blood bank donors. It had his possessiveness surging to the fore, but for Narae’s sake, he shoved it down. The last thing she needed right now was his jealousy.
Waiting and worrying, the uncertainty was killing Daemon. Still in wolf form, Narae’s all-black wolf was a stark contrast to the white sheets upon which she lay. They’d already changed thebedding once, but the fresh sheets were blood-crusted now too, because Oliver said cleaning Narae would have to wait until she was better. Blood caked her fur, and she was coated in mud and thistles. She looked like she’d been through hell and back, and she had. But she was alive, and that was all that mattered.
The door to Narae’s room opened, and Koe poked his head in. “I’ve got Jury, can we come in?”
Daemon nodded and stood protectively over Narae. He knew Koe and Jury wouldn’t harm her, but there was no talking Demon down. Koe carried Jury in. She was already crying, and when she saw Narae’s wolf, her tears fell harder.
