Her Fated Mates (House of Wolves and Magic Book 2) Page 18

  “Scent’s like she got hit.”

  “If she did, that means they won’t get far. They’ll be smart though and try and cover their tracks, just like they’ve been doing with me. It’s fucking exhausting and pissing me off,” I grumbled.

  “How do you know which way they’re going then?” Chase demanded.

  “Just follow me. Now that you guys are here, we can take the three of them on and get the girl and get this shit taken care of. What do you say?” I spread my hands as though I was offering them the deal of a lifetime.

  “Lead on, man. What are you waiting for?” Chase came over and slapped me on the shoulder as though he was excited for the hunt. I knew it wasn’t just the chase he was excited for, but also for the fact that he expected it to be relatively easy and have violence at the end. I fully expected that if somehow Chase and Linc caught up with Roman and Micah, then they, rather Chase, would kill them if given the opportunity.

  My job was to make sure that they never got that chance.

  Easier said than done when a smarty pants like Linc was paying attention to my every move.

  Micah

  The doctor’s place had been easy to find, theoretically, with the address that Blake had provided, but finding the door to it was more challenging than expected. I’d had Roman wait in one place with Nina while I scouted the place out. I knew from experience that silver poisoning wasn’t what everyone thought it was. Unless you lived through it, then no one could really understand the pain that you endured.

  Finally, I found a large metal wall that looked more like a segmented garage door than anything else. Right in the center there was a small hatch. I knocked, just a regular three-hit knock, and had a brief moment of panic as I tried to remember whether Blake had said anything about a special knock as well as a password.

  The sound of metal scraping against metal filled the air. Nothing stealthy about that. A moment later, a pair of wide bug eyes covered with bottle thick glasses and topped with bushy white eyebrows filled the space. “Whatchu wan’?”

  “My mate needs help. She’s been poisoned with silver.”

  “What am I supposed t’do about it?”

  “Oh, the password, right. Blue moon.”

  There was a grumble from the other side as the head turned away, almost like he was talking to someone for a moment before he turned back and said, “Bring her roun’ to the side. The door that says Dolly’s Donuts.” The metal grate slid shut, and I took off like a bat out of hell.

  A few moments later, I skidded to a stop in front of Roman and Nina. My heart froze in my chest as I watched her for a second to confirm she was still breathing. There was nothing about her that looked alive, other than the rise and fall of her chest.

  “We have to take her to the left, there’s a door for Dolly’s Donuts. Doc is going to meet us there and bring her back.” I waved Roman on as I stepped in the direction of the door.

  He rose with Nina carefully tucked in his arms, and we made our way to the door. The retro sign was old and busted, but there nonetheless.

  I knocked, and Doc, or rather the man I assumed was the doctor, opened it up. “This way,” he said without even looking at Nina.

  Before the door could swing shut, I grabbed it and held it open for Roman and the unconscious Nina before making sure it shut firmly behind me. The last thing we needed was to be surprised by someone sneaking in from us not being careful.

  “No. If you’d said who it was, I would have told you out of the gate that this isn’t possible. I can’t treat her.” Doc’s voice rang out through the almost garage like room that had a few hospital gurneys sitting haphazardly around the area. Roman had placed Nina on one. It was only once she was free from his arms that I realized how much she’d been bleeding. I couldn’t help but wonder if being pressed up against Roman that whole time had staunched the flow, because when I looked at the wound, I could see that it was flowing freely now.

  “What do you mean, no? She’s going to die if you don’t help her.” Roman’s voice was the deadly cold he sometimes got when he was extremely pissed off and trying not to vent his rage.

  “Then she dies! I’m not going to piss Jax and his pack off.” Surprise must have shown on our faces because he continued, “That’s right. I know exactly who she is, and I’m not going to put myself and my clinic at risk for her. Now, please leave before someone realizes you were here.” He pointed to the door and stood watching me expectantly.

  There was something I was forgetting. Fuck, my brain had been a mess ever since my own poisoning. I slipped my phone from my pocket while Roman took some calming—or what I hoped were calming—breaths. Quickly, I pulled up the note I’d written to myself after Blake left and refreshed my memory. As seriously as I could, since I had no idea what this meant, I said, “Sharon would be horrified to see you turn down a patient that would die without treatment, without your help.”

  Doc stiffened and turned to me. “What did you just say to me, boy?”

  “You heard me. Sharon would be disappointed in you.”

  His overly large eyes, which were probably normal sized and just distorted by his glasses, seemed to get a little shinier as he stared at me, unblinking, as though willing me to back down. When I held his gaze and didn’t flinch, it became a battle of wills, only there was a snowball’s chance in hell of me giving in since it was my mate that lay dying on the table.

  After a moment, the doctor said, “Fine. But as soon as she’s stable, you’re all getting out of here. I’m not having her stick around until she’s healed and putting everyone that visits at risk of Jax’s wrath.”

  “Understood,” I replied, while Roman just stared at the man, waiting for him to get started.

  “This isn’t going to be pretty, and to be honest, I’m not sure I’ll be able to save her with the damage that’s been done. I’ll try though. I promise, but I need you to go and wait over there.” He gestured to a couple old couches that I hadn’t even noticed when we walked in.

  “It doesn’t need to be pretty, we just need to be sure she’ll live. She needs to live.” Roman’s voice had started so strong and sure, but the last was a plea on his lips, and though I never thought that the man would be capable of it, he broke my heart.

  We needed Nina to live, not just for us, not just because we loved her, but because she was a light within the world that didn’t deserve to be snuffed out.

  24

  Nina

  I knew we’d made it to the doctor’s place and that he didn’t want to treat me, so when I woke the next time, feeling both worse and better at the same time, I knew that my mates had been persuasive enough to get him to change his mind. It was both a relief and a concern, since I still felt awful. This time, it was more of a drugged sensation and less of a my-life-is-ending or my-body-is-ripping-itself-apart sensation.

  The doctor had said he wasn’t sure if he could save me, and I wondered if he had succeeded or if my body was just slowly shutting down and that was why I still had no control. Then again, maybe it was the drugs.

  Everything hurt, pain radiating from every cell in my body. It was the kind of pain that made my fight or flight kick in, and it was definitely voting for flight, except I couldn’t move, couldn’t even blink. I was just shrouded in this dark loneliness that was rife with pain and suffering, and all I wanted was to curl into a ball and get comfort from my mates, but they didn’t even know I was awake.

  “I’m going to go and clean up the blood trail, make sure no one can find us. I can’t sit here and watch her die. I need to do something.” Roman’s voice sounded broken and disjointed. It was like I was already dead and the bond was already broken. It wasn’t though, even through the pain, I could feel it, feel each bond to my mates, I just couldn’t interact with them like normal. Even my wolf felt more distant than normal.

  “Make sure you don’t lead anyone back here, either,” the doctor said, his tone biting and full of unvoiced fury.

  Vaguely, I heard someone
grunt something, but my mind was already slipping back to the darkness. This time, the darkness wasn’t unconsciousness though. It was something else entirely.

  Sensation suddenly came back to me. Wind whipped my hair around my face, and the scent of flowers and honey filled my nose. I could pretty much guarantee, just from what I’d been aware of, that the doctor’s place wasn’t in the middle of a field. So what the hell was this?

  I blinked long and hard, and my sight came back to me, light searing my retinas as I was overwhelmed with visuals. The sky around me was a perfect cornflower blue, and the white wisps of clouds that dotted the horizon were like cotton candy and stained pink and orange at the very edges as though the sun was setting, even though it was still a ways away from the horizon. I turned in a slow circle and was amazed at the beauty that surrounded me. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before.

  Which was why I knew I had to be dreaming.

  It felt so real though.

  I could reach out and run my hands through the tall grass I was standing in, softly touch one of the flowers that was blooming next to me, and feel the silkiness of its petals. As I began to walk through the field, I could hear a woman singing and my instinct was to follow the song to find the owner of such a beautiful voice, but I wasn’t sure that it was safe.

  The same unease and trepidation I’d felt most of my adult life was gone though. I was at peace here, wherever here was.

  Wait, was this heaven?

  Was I dead?

  Grief rocketed through me, and I fell to my knees in the grass, one hand clutching my chest over my heart while the other broke my fall. I couldn’t be dead, could I? I mean, I knew I’d gotten shot and it was a silver bullet, but they’d gotten me to the doctor in time, hadn’t they?

  Tears bubbled over my eyelids and streamed down my face as I tried to absorb this new truth.

  I barely noticed when a hand appeared in front of me, probably wouldn’t have except for the fact that the skin literally had a shimmer to it, or maybe it was a glow, it was hard to tell. My gaze traveled upward as I took in the stunning woman before me.

  Two long blonde braids hung down, one over each shoulder, each with metal beads woven through. Bright blue eyes stared at me as the loose strands of hair curled around her face. All of her beauty was topped with a golden circlet that sat atop her head, but it was the kindness and patience that showed on her face that made me take her hand.

  “Come child, the others are waiting.” Her voice was lyrical, what I would imagine an elf would sound like if were elves real.

  “Others?” I asked.

  “Your mates,” she said simply as she led me from the grass toward a great longhouse. The thatch roof covered most of the building, with only the intricately carved arch of the doorway showing. It was a thing of beauty and clearly old but well cared for.

  As we passed under it, I couldn’t help but look up. The structure was much taller than I had expected from farther away. I could have easily stood on Roman or Blake’s shoulders and still not touched the top of the arch. Inside was dark and cozy, the kind of atmosphere that made me long for winter and the soft crunch of snow underfoot.

  I had expected to stop inside the longhouse, but instead, we used it almost as a shortcut and left through another doorway, this one much smaller and less noticeable. Before I stepped through, I glanced over my shoulder, trying to memorize the long wood benches and large fire pit that dominated the space. If this was heaven, then at least I’d be nice and cozy in it.

  The thought made a lump form in my throat, and I had to swallow sharply to avoid crying. The woman glanced back at me as though she could sense the turmoil of my emotions. Thankfully, she didn’t say anything though, because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to respond without losing it.

  The sun was in my eyes as we walked a little farther, the sound of people shouting and the clash of blades coming from one side, while singing and cheering came from the other.

  “Here we are,” she said cryptically as she released my hand, and I found myself standing in front of a firepit that had flames merrily dancing inside. Around the fire stood Roman, Micah, Blake, and two other men that I couldn’t see, thanks to the sun’s low rays shining just behind them.

  “Angel,” Roman said, taking my hand and placing a chaste kiss on the back of it.

  “Glad you made it, beautiful,” Micah said from the other side.

  “Hello, love,” Blake said, his voice coming from just beyond Roman’s shoulder.

  The other two men spoke, but I couldn’t understand them, like they were talking to me from underwater or something.

  “Where are we?” I asked finally, both terrified of the answer and needing to know.

  “That is not important now. What is important is that you have your mates here with you and there is something you should see.” Her voice was like a song in my ear.

  Before I could ask her what it was, I felt her hands on my back as she pushed me into the fire. The flames roared around me, and I screamed. I expected the heat and flames to consume me, but they didn’t. Instead, I felt them mingle with my soul and start to forge something within me.

  “You have a choice ahead of you, daughter, one that can create or destroy. Fire consumes and destroys, but it also leaves behind ash, which fertilizes the soil. Everything has its time and purpose, but as such, those times can end and new beginnings can flourish. Look to your mates for guidance, see them for who they truly are, look within yourself and find your wolf once more. Only then will you know which path to choose.” Her blue eyes flashed as she spoke, and I couldn’t help but feel like I was in the presence of someone with immense power.

  When she turned and walked away, I tried to follow, but this time, the flames did burn. I yelped and stepped back to the center, looking down at my leg which had stepped into the fire. “Roman?” I called out.

  As I looked up once more, my jaw dropped. Gone was the perpetual late afternoon sky, and in its place was a blaze of sunlight on one side of me and the cool glow of moonlight on the other, the bright sky blue on one side darkening to the starlit night on the other.

  “I’m here, Nina,” Roman said, his voice coming from off to the side with the moon. I looked toward him and saw him glowing with a light of his own.

  “Nina, are you okay?” Micah’s voice now came from behind me, and when I turned and looked, he radiated light, glorious warm sunlight seeming to erupt from his very skin.

  “Nina, you need to wake up if you’re going to make this choice. You’ve got a long road ahead of you.” Blake’s voice was so calm and soothing that I didn’t expect him to be standing there with gleaming red eyes and the scent of hot metal to be heavy in the air around him.

  I couldn’t help but turn to look at the other two men who had been standing around the fire. I knew they were still there, since I could sense them at my back. The light from Roman and Micah still obscured their features, but they stood as tall as a mountain or a great pine tree, solid and sturdy, waiting for me to find them. They were the secrets I had to discover before I could make this weird choice the woman had been going on about. I don’t know how I knew, I just did, like how I could feel a kiss from one of my mates long after their lips had left my own.

  Blake was right though—if I was going to figure out what this was, then I needed to wake up. Before I could do anything, the world faded to smoke and darkness. The only light came from a faint glow of the very core of the embers that had been the fire I’d been standing in. Now, looking down, it was like I was standing in a stone circle, not a magical fire.

  “Antonia,” a male voice called.

  My head snapped up. That voice had been haunting my nightmares ever since I ran into its owner at that party. A shiver ran down my spine. How had he found me here?

  “Antonia, stop resisting me. You know you feel the connection between us just as much as I do. I just wish I knew why you were still running from me. Join me, and we will have the strongest pack ever seen. I�
�ll bring you pleasure and joy like no one else can.” As Jax spoke, his shadowy figure moved closer to me until I was swallowed up by the smoke and darkness that seemed to be seeping from him. His eyes glowed eerily. It was so dark, I could barely make him out, so his eyes looked like were floating, unbound from the rest of his body. Which is why when he seemed to get taller, I told myself it was just a trick of the light, or lack thereof.

  I wasn’t completely convinced though. He looked massive, much bigger than he ever had before, like he could pluck the moon from the sky if he so chose. The deviousness and callousness I felt from him normally was magnified tenfold, and it felt like a wave of pure wickedness washed over me.

  The shiver that went down my spine next wasn’t just fear, there was a sliver of desire in there as well, which made me feel ashamed. How could I even feel the smallest fraction of anything positive for this man, who had been stalking me and terrifying me, who tore my carefully crafted life apart like tissue paper? I should’ve been trying to kill him where he stood for what he’d done to me.

  When I tried to move though, I found that I couldn’t lift a finger. The darkness that seemed to now be pouring from Jax’s form was surrounding me and dragging me down. Gravity was making me its bitch.

  For a few moments there, I’d almost felt free, almost like all the bullshit that was weighing me down in this life was gone, but now I knew that wasn’t true. Whatever was going on was far from over, but I was far from dead.

  Okay, not that far, but still.

  I had shit to do and people to find, and the only way I was going to do that was if I woke the fuck up.

  25

  Nina

  When I woke, it was like reality had cracked open and vomited all the shitty aspects of itself onto me. I wanted to be back in the field, with… There was a woman, wasn’t there? The more I tried to grasp at the wisps of the dream that still clung to my mind, the harder it became, until the whole thing felt like it had slipped away.