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Chapter Twelve

Jade

Jade watched with horror as the shifter she had spotted outside Ghost’s office, the one who followed them in the forest and had been there when she’d been shot, pulled Noah from the car.He kneeled by Noah’s body and looked at her with such hatred it made her freeze in place.

Noah.No. No. No. Noah!

She launched herself from the backseat and onto the ground in front of Noah in one swift movement.She reached out to pull him away from the shifter, but instead, Noah was yanked away from her again.

“She will understand now, what it’s like to lose what you love.”

Her heart froze in her chest as he bit down on Noah’s neck.The scream that was wrenched out of the man she loved almost brought her to her knees.She watched as Axel, Gunnar, and Hunter latched on the shifter and pulled him away from Noah before throwing him on the ground and holding him down.

Jade moved toward Noah, not knowing what she could do to save his life, but knowing she would have to do something.

Think.Think, think.

Liv moved in front of her and wrapped her tiny hands around Jade’s biceps and squeezed.“You have to introduce your venom into his system.The shifter only pushed a small amount of venom in before he was removed.Bite him and you will know how much he needs in order to survive.”

Jade stood still for a second, but Liv’s brows drew down and she pushed her toward Noah.

She kneeled in front of him and the pain on his face almost killed her.

“Noah?Noah?”Jade cupped his cheek and turned his gaze toward her.It was already cloudy and he was squinting in pain, biting his lip and trying not to cry out.She needed to save him.Now.

“I’m sorry.”Jade could tell her words confused him but she ignored the pang in her chest at the fact she was forcing him to become an immortal.

He hadn’t decided.It wasn’t fair.

Wanting to numb the area before she bit down, she licked his neck, tasting the sweet tang of his blood on her tongue.Knowing she would have to take his choice away from him, she licked him one more time before she bit down, releasing a rush of venom from her teeth.She had no idea how Liv thought she would be able to tell how much was enough, but soon, the flow of venom slowed to a stutter and after a few more seconds, came to a stop.

Making a sound of surprise, she licked a swath over the wound, once and then again, making sure it was closed.Not knowing if it could work, Jade dropped her head onto Noah’s chest.

A sob surprised her when it bubbled from her throat and escaped in a wail.She wrapped her arms around Noah, holding him close and taking a small amount of comfort that he was warm.She could hear his faint heartbeat, and he was breathing.

“Let’s get him comfortable.”Liv’s words brought Jade back to reality.

Jade nodded and rose to her knees.She scooped Noah up in her arms and stood, cradling his head against her chest as she glanced up to follow Liv into the house and up the stairs.She made the mistake of looking at her family and the devastation on their faces had her drop her gaze down to Noah.She noticed that his puncture wounds had healed, but she knew they had a long way to go.

Silently, Liv led the way into the house, followed by Jade, and then the rest of the assassins.Jade followed Liv quietly, holding Noah gently in her arms, and only glanced up when Liv cleared her throat.

Jade settled Noah onto the bed with gentle movements.She ripped off his shirt and pants, leaving him in his boxer briefs.They would probably have to lose those sooner rather than later, but for now, she helped Noah keep his modesty.

“I’m going to get an IV for a morphine drip.I’ll get you a cooler with ice packs and a pile of towels to keep him comfortable.”

“Thank you.”

Liv squeezed her hand.“It’s not your fault.”

Jade nodded.“Yes, it is.He wasn’t sure about this life.And who can blame him, really.A shifter killed his best friend after lying to them, he was thrown into working with us, and a rogue shifter attacked him for reasons we have yet to understand.”

Jade paused and glanced up, spotting Kai standing in the doorway.“You still have that fucker, right?”

Kai nodded, his eyes drifting back to Noah, telling her silently that she should concentrate on her mate and not worry about anything else.

Liv squeezed Jade tightly.“No one has the ideal transition and life throws curveballs in your way when you least expect it.Just know, after his transition, he will be fine.His heart is strong and with our help, he will make it through this without much pain.”

Jade nodded, her throat too tight to speak.