Page 36

Liam

M y paws tear through the underbrush, every heartbeat a countdown. The trees blur past, the scent of moss and forest air thick in my nose. But there, just underneath, is her. I let out a low whine, pushing harder, faster. Her scent is faint, a wisp of hope leading me deeper into the thickening underbrush.

Lucas catches up to me and flanks me as we tear through the forest. The bond grows stronger, and so does her scent. She’s close. We’re almost there. I can feel it.

We’re coming for you, Shadow Girl.

There!

A fox peeks its head around a tree trunk.

We found her!

Bas shoots ahead of me, turning up his tiger speed to beat me to our mate. Rachel steps away from the tree on unsteady feet. My heart sinks and my anger rises. Twigs stick out from her tails, and there’s a smear of something dark, mud, maybe blood, along her flank. She looks like she’s been dragged through half the forest. She stumbles to a stop just before Bas knocks her on her side, somehow managing to hold back his strength so he doesn’t hurt her. He nuzzles our mate’s scruff as I shift and drop to my knees beside them.

“Rachel,” I breathe. Her gorgeous fox eyes find mine and she whines. I pull her small body away from Bas and cradle her battered form in my arms.

We found her. She’s safe.

Bas and Lucas shift back to human, sitting on either side of me, both with a hand on our mate’s furry back. Derrick, drops to his knees across from me, instantly reaching for her and petting her head.

The pack bond flares bright and for a moment, I swear I can feel my brothers. Then Rachel shifts back, her powers no longer able to hold on to her fox form.

D’s dad stops behind us, close enough to show his support yet far enough to give us this time with our mate, standing sentry, on guard for an oncoming attack. The joy of finding Rachel takes a back seat when a loud crash draws our attention away from her. Trent and Ranger explode from the rundown shack across the clearing.

The bond flares with Rachel’s fear and I twist, pulling her tight against my body, an attempt at shielding her from the chaos unfolding in front of us. Trent comes flying out first, blood on his face, a raspy, hollow growl tearing from his throat. Ranger’s right behind him, eyes blazing, suit jacket hanging from him by a thread, shirt torn exposing a bleeding gash across his chest.

Trent tackles him back into a half-broken tree, the whole thing shudders under their weight. Ranger slumps back head lolling to one side.

With the threat of Ranger’s attack neutralized, Trent turns, eyes locked on where Rachel shivers in my arms. She shrinks further into me and I growl a warning.

Bas’ growl joins mine, the sound ripping from his chest like thunder. He launches forward without hesitation, crossing the clearing in a blur of orange fur and fangs.

Trent realizes his mistake too late, turning toward Bas at the last moment, eyes comically wide.

Bas slams Trent to the ground with a guttural roar, straddling his chest, teeth snapping millimeters from his face.

“You’ll pay for this,” Trent screeches from under Bas, fighting to scoot free he begins to sit up. “You’ll all pay for…”

Demi doesn’t let him finish. I’m not sure when he crossed the clearing but he steps up next to Bas and delivers one clean blow to Trents head, effectively knocking him out. Bas rumbles a dissatisfied growl at Demi.

“Sorry, son. Couldn’t let you kill him,” Demi chuckles, scratching behind Bas’s ear like he’s a domesticated house pet. “That’s more paperwork than I’m interested in doing.”

For a moment, it’s still.

Too still.

Then a low, feral growl shakes the clearing.

Ranger.

I turn my attention to where he lies just as he surges to his feet and shifts, landing on four feet. His predatory golden eyes scan the clearing before locking onto Demi and with a roar he charges.

“Shit,” Liam mutters as he rises, ready to join Demi in battle, but Derrick beats him to it.

Before Ranger can make it more than a few feet, Derrick is in the air, shifted into dragon form, he hovers a few feet above the trees as he blows a flame barricade between Ranger and his father. The flame licks out, burning patches of fur when Ranger gets too close.

“That’s enough, St. James.” Demi’s voice rings with absolute authority. “Shift back and give up or be burned in a dragon's flame, your choice really.”

Ranger snarls, pacing just beyond the fire. Smoke curls from his singed fur, his teeth bared, but even through the fury I can see a flicker of hesitation.

He knows he’s outmatched. He’s lost.

Another beat passes, and he lunges.

Wrong choice.

I shield Rachel's eyes, tucking her face into my chest, assuming that her idiot father is about to go up in smoke. But instead, Derrick swoops down with a great roar and knocks Ranger into the dirt with a swipe of his great clawed hand. His head hits the ground with a sickening crunch, and he shifts back to human form, bloody and defeated, but breathing.

I don’t release Rachel, I don’t move a muscle. None of us do.

Derrick shifts back to human form, standing over Ranger, watching for any sign he’s going to get back up. Ranger remains still, face half buried in the dirt, the jagged lines of impact from a dragon's claws etched across his skin, even in human form. His once-crisp dress shirt hangs in tatters, stained with dirt and blood. One sleeve is completely torn away, revealing the raw, bruised flesh underneath. He won’t be getting up any time soon.

Demi steps over, calm and commanding. He doesn’t gloat or hesitate. Just crouches and snaps an enchanted set of handcuffs around Ranger’s wrists.

“It’s over,” he says quietly.

And it is. Finally.

Bas exhales a snarl, turning away from Trent’s unconscious form with his chest still heaving. He shifts back to two legs and he and Derrick leave Demi with the fallen assholes, crossing back to where Lucas and I still sit with our mate.

Lucas is still crouched beside me, one hand on our mate and the other now gripping my shoulder like he’s making sure I'm still here. We’re all here.

We found her.

She’s safe.

But when I look down, Rachel’s trembling in my arms, silent tears sliding down her cheeks. Her lips are pale, her breaths shallow.

“She’s going into shock,” Derrick says, back in his human form now, voice tight. He crouches beside us, pressing two fingers to her neck to check her pulse.

“I’ll call for a secure medical team,” Demi says. “They’ll be here in minutes.”

I press my forehead to Rachel’s and whisper, “It’s okay now. You’re safe, Shadow Girl. I’ve got you.”

She doesn’t respond, but her hand curls into my shirt, a silent anchor.

“She’s cold. Her pulse is weak, but steady.” Derrick’s voice is a barely restrained growl.

“She doesn’t seem to be bleeding,” Lucas says, voice tight as he traces the bruise on our mate's temple with a feather light touch. “At least not on the outside.”

“We don’t know what he did to her,” I grit out, brushing some dirt from her cheek. “How long she was in there. What she had to endure.”

“I’m not waiting for medics,” Bas says, starting to reach for our mate. “We’ll meet them halfway.”

“No.” Derrick's voice is firm, but not cruel, as he places a hand on Bas’s chest, halting his movements. “If we move her too fast and she’s bleeding internally we’ll…”

“She needs warmth. She needs us,” I say, adjusting her slightly in my arms.

As if in answer, Rachel lets out a small whimper. Her eyes flutter open for just a moment, finding mine.

“I’ve got you,” I whisper again. “You’re safe now.”

A soft rumble of engines reaches us a moment later. We must be closer to the road than I thought. Through the woods on the other side of the shack where they imprisoned my mate, I see movement. Seconds later, two paramedics come out of the woods and into the clearing carrying supply bags and a back board.

Demi waves them forward. “Keep it quiet, boys. She’s been through enough already.”

The paramedics approach, one quickly starting and IV in her arm while the other scans her with a glowing stone. I’ve never been more thankful for witches or their healing magic than I am in this very moment.

“She’s stable,” the one with the stone confirms, “but we need to get her to the shifter wing at Elderview Medical. There doesn’t seem to be anything preventing you from carrying her to the ambulance but I’m afraid only one of you can ride with us.”

Rachel’s fingers tighten in my shirt.

“I’m going,” I say, and no one argues.

Derrick nods. “We’ll be right behind you. Go.”

The ride is a blur. Low murmured voices, the steady beeping of monitors, the hum of magic. I barely register any of it. All I know is that Rachel is alive, and I’m not letting her go.

By the time we reach Elderview Medical’s shifter wing, she’s drifting in and out of consciousness. The medics move quickly, lifting her onto a gurney and wheeling her inside. I walk beside her the whole way, fingers wrapped around hers like a lifeline.

A head healer takes over, scanning her for injury and any harmful magic. “Sedatives, yes. But it appears they didn’t use any kind of spellwork or enchanted items. She’s bruised, dehydrated, and exhausted. But she’s going to be okay.”

Those words have me taking my first full breath since I first found out Rachel was missing.

They clean her up gently, using healing magic on the deeper bruises and threading a steady flow of restorative magic through her system. I don’t leave her side. I don’t even blink unless I have to.

The guys arrive just as they finally clear her for release. She’s dressed in a too large set of hospital scrubs making her look small and too pale. Her lips are dry, and there’s a fading bruise at her temple that makes my stomach turn. Even her hair, usually glossy and dark, is limp, tangled from stress and sleep. We crowd around her and offer her as much comfort as we can.

She looks up at me with sad eyes and reaches for me with grabby hands that damn near break my heart. “I want to go home now. Please.”

“I’ve got you,” I whisper, scooping her up as carefully as I can.

Her arms go around my neck, her forehead pressing to my shoulder like she’s finally letting go of the last bit of tension still locked in her muscles.

I carry her out of the hospital, giving the doctors and nurses evil eyes when they tell me hospital protocol dictates she leave in a wheelchair. I don’t give a fuck about hospital rules. I’m not letting my mate go.

Demi’s warm, authoritative voice fills the hall, but I don’t hear what he says. My sole focus is on my mate, the rest of the world ceasing to exist as I devote a hundred percent of my attention to her. I don’t know if it's my 'fuck off' aura or whatever Demi said, but no one else tries to stop me as I walk out the front door into the cool early evening air.

The walk to the car is silent, as Demi leads the way, Derrick walking behind me and Bas and Lucas on either side of me, forming a shield protecting our mate from the world. Lucas opens the back door of the large, black SUV and I slip in, holding Rachel in my lap. I scooch us to the middle seat as Bas and Lucas get in on either side of us and Derrick takes the front seat next to his dad.

Lucas is the first to touch Rachel and again, I feel something in the bond. It gets stronger when Bas puts his hand on her. Derrick twists to face us, stretching out his hand to touch Rachel too, needing that physical connection to prove she’s here and safe. The bond flares brighter than in the forest and I know I’m not the only one who feels it. Rachel hums as she nuzzles her face into my chest. The car is silent as we all drink our mate in. Until Demi bursts our bubble.

“She’s going to have to talk to the authorities. I can’t hold them off forever.”

“She’s in no condition-” I snarl lowly.

“I wasn’t saying now. I’ve already told them they’ll have to wait until at least tomorrow. They’ve agreed to give her the night to recover, but they expect to see her in the Dean’s office tomorrow.”

“They’ll be seeing all of us in the Dean’s office tomorrow,” Bas says, voice brokering no argument.

“I thought you’d say as much.” Demi smirks in the rearview mirror. “I reminded them as bonded mates, the four of you are legally authorized to be there. There won’t be any problem with you all staying with her. I’ll make sure of that,”

“Good,” we say as one.

“I don’t have to go alone?” Rachel’s quiet voice guts me.

“You’ll be lucky if I let you pee alone, Shadow Girl,” I grumble, earning a soft smile.

“You’re lucky I’m feeling clingy or that type of over-protectiveness wouldn’t be attractive,” she smirks.

“That’s the tip of the iceberg of reasons I’m lucky, Shadow Girl. Don’t ever do that to us again. I wouldn’t survive it.” I press my forehead to hers, muttering the last part so softly I’m not sure if I actually say it out loud.

Demi pulls into the parking lot, stopping by the sidewalk leading to the dorms. “I’ll pick you up when you’re ready.”

We all agree and get out of the car. I’m just standing up as Derrick closes his door, his dad’s light voice floating to us on a chuckle.

“Your mom and the girls left you a surprise.”

A surprise?

The door closes behind me and Demi drives off before we can ask any questions. Like what does he mean a surprise ?

Shaking my head, I head toward the dorm, ready to cuddle my mate and get this day over with.

When we walk into the dorm, I see what Demi was talking about.

The living room has been transformed into a giant mattress nest, again. Every pillow and blanket we own has been pulled out, layered and fluffed into a warm mountain of comfort. There’s a tray of snacks waiting off to the side, water bottles, a stack of movies, someone even lit one of those ridiculous calming candles Derrick swears by.

Rachel gives a soft, tired sound when she sees it. It might’ve been a laugh. Or a sob. Maybe both.

“This is your throne tonight, Moonbeam,” Lucas says gently, helping ease her from my arms to the center of the bed mound.

We all follow her in.

Bas lays at her feet like a sentinel. Lucas curls on her left side, arm draped over her waist. I claim her right, one hand threaded through hers and Derrick lays lengthwise by her head watching over all of us as he gently brushes his fingers through her dark halo.

Our bond finally settles into a hum that says safe, safe, safe.

She doesn’t say much. But before her eyes close, she murmurs, “Thank you, all of you. I love you all so much.”

We stay that way for hours. Murmuring I love you’s and affirmations of safety and comfort to her as she sleeps.

She’s home.

And I swear to the stars, I’m never letting anyone take her from us again.